Surprise! I'm not dead! I'm sorry this chapter took so long to get out, guys. It has been a crazy couple of months for me. Mostly good, but some bad. I started a new job, so I spent a good month transitioning old clients to their new therapists so they'd continue to have the support they'd need, then rolled into orientation and shifting to a new schedule. It's a better overall job, & one I enjoy more, but it's back in the hospital working directly with patients. I picked a great time for it, right? Fortunately we use plenty of PPE & only one coworker has caught COVID, & it was from her husband, & she's back to work now.

In the middle of all of that, a family friend died suddenly a week after finding out she had Stage 4 cancer, & my dog got really sick to the point that I was genuinely worried he was dying. Fortunately, a trip to the emergency clinic in the middle of the night, some pulled teeth & gabapentin later (vet gave my dog the good stuff), & I was able to nurse him back to health. Eating me out of house & home, always underfoot again.

All that combined together to the point I'd be sitting there & realize, "I haven't written anything in three weeks." I appreciate you guys' patience through all this. Hopefully you're all staying safe and healthy, & that my story can help fill your time stuck at home. And as a reminder, if you ever want updates on the story or any delays, pop over to my Tumblr at GamerDameMedia. I try to post regular updates, teasers & things like that, so even if you don't have an account feel free to drop by & make sure I haven't fallen off the face of the planet. With that said, on with the show!


Disclaimer: I don't own One Piece. I only own my original additions. This story is for entertainment purposes only.


Warnings: Scary imagery


"Wer mit Ungeheuern kämpft..." Who fights with monsters...

"What happened!?" Chopper asked, ever the compassionate one.

"I only picked up bits and pieces on the way," Leif began, "But it sounds like a young couple was murdered last night. Their landlord found them this morning— I guess they'd been late on their rent or something. Found the man and woman brutally beaten in their room... not a pretty sight. And that's not the worst part."

When it became obvious Leif wasn't going to clarify without prompting, Luffy asked, "What's the worst part?"

"The couple had a baby... whom they couldn't find."

"Double murder and kidnapping, huh?" Zoro summarized, seated against the mast.

Nami's brow tensed. "That is awful."

"Was it those crazy cult guys?" Luffy asked.

Leif sent their captain a withering look. "I would not speculate on such things aloud," he warned before continuing, "Though this doesn't match most past... suspected cases."

Luffy tilted his head like a curious pup. "Whaddya mean?"

Leif glanced furtively around, clearly much warier than the day prior. Perhaps the brutality of this latest crime had put him more on edge. Ironic, given how much time it sounded like he spent in crypts around corpses. "By all accounts, such barbarous actions are not the standard modus operandi. Their reputation is built on disappearances and mysterious, unexplained deaths." He came a little closer, so as not to have to speak so loudly. "The baby certainly fits, but I've never heard of multiple people being beaten to death. The reports I heard paint a graphic picture, almost liken to a wild animal being set loose upon the poor couple. This has everyone's imaginations running wild."

"Could be someone else, then," Sanji coolly suggested. "It's not like they've got a monopoly on crime." Just because there was a cult here, didn't mean there weren't other criminals about.

Leif hummed in agreement. "That's what some are saying." He eyed the crew. "You might want to be mindful upon your next visit to town." His eyes widened and he quickly corrected, "Not that I mean to say I think you're guilty!" Leif waved his hands placatingly. "Just that strangers, and pirates in particular, would be an easy scapegoat."

Abel could almost sense everyone in the crew thinking, Don't we know it.

Still trying to correct his perceived offense, Leif frowned emphatically at Abel. "I highly doubt someone who dedicates their life to fighting monsters to protect others would show such callous disregard for human life."

Abel chose to ignore the gagging motion her sister was making behind the man in mocking of his hero-worship, nor comment on how monsters and humans are separate categories of beings and thus a person could easily hate both. Instead, she jokingly glanced at Robin and asked, "Have you assassinated anyone recently, Handy?"

Grinning at the teasing question, Robin responded in kind, "Not that I'm aware of."

Ignoring Usopp's muttered repetition of the phrase, Abel smiled at Leif and said, "Guess we all have alibis... not that one can reason with a mob."


Abel made a beeline for her cabinets after flicking on the office lights. Leif had already left for the day, taking Luffy, Robin, Sanji, and a very reluctant Nami with him. It had honestly surprised Abel that the redhead had agreed to go back, given what'd happened yesterday. But she supposed the lure of money was hard to ignore— especially with the added protection. Naturally, now knowing the danger the location presented, Sanji wasn't about to let two-thirds of his lovely ladies brave such perils alone. True to what she'd said yesterday, Abel'd declined the offer to join them. She'd seen enough to sate her curiosity. Besides, she had several projects she very much wanted to return to.

Hence her sure movements as she pulled a securely stored microscope slide from the locked cabinet. The very same slide she'd cut her finger on just two days prior. Eagerly, Abel slid the thin glass pane under her microscope before twisting the knob along the instrument's base, illuminating the slide from below. Abel peered down at the red-coated slide. Normally it wasn't a good idea to leave objects stained in blood, but for the sake of experimentation, Abel could make an exception this time.

Upping the magnification, Abel observed two different cell types on the slide. One, she immediately identified as human blood cells... her blood cells, to be precise. A healthy shade of pink under the microscope, not quite uniformly circular, fading to white in the middle. But the other cells weren't so easily identifiable. They looked similar to the red blood cells, but off a bit, with a more oblong shape. Their pinkish color matched the other blood cells, except instead of being white in the middle, a dark egg-shaped nucleus stood out.

Lips twisting thoughtfully, Abel stood from the desk and opened her cabinets again. Flipping through one of her animal biology books, on a hunch she turned the reptile section. It didn't take her long to find the answer. Reptile blood. She'd guessed the hydra would have similar physiology. It was essentially a fancy lizard.

So there's my blood cells, the hydra's blood cells... and nothing else. Abel saw no other cell types on that sample. Or, perhaps more importantly, no stem cells. Given the complete absence of the stem cells that had been in abundance pre-accident, combined with the current overabundance of human blood cells, Abel concluded that the stem cells must've differentiated to become human blood cells. At least that's what the evidence led her to believe. Abel pondered this as she stared down at her fingers, studying the pad that had been cut from Usopp's interruption. The bleeding had stopped almost instantly, despite it being more than just a nick. And as far as she could see, it left no scarring behind. At least nothing visible to her eyes, as she twisted her finger around in the light to observe it at different angles.

Abel stared at the jar with the chunk of preserved spinal cord sitting on her desk, an idea beginning form.

The clacking of metal and glass objects echoed down the hall, causing Franky and Usopp — currently hard at work in Franky's workshop — to wonder what had their hunter so enthused.

Back in her office, Abel set out several different stations to work on a test sample of her idea. First, she clipped off a very small section of the hydra's spinal cord, about the size of her pinky-tip. Abel dropped the fragment into a small container of saline solution sitting on what was essentially a glorified blender. She needed to pulverize the sample and disperse the cells into the solution. In their current, solid state, she couldn't use them. The tiny blades made quick work of the sample, the machine whirring loudly for a few minutes before Abel cut it off. Only a murky liquid remained. Pouring some of the solution into a vial, Abel sealed the rest away for the time being and hurried upstairs to Chopper's office.

Exiting onto the deck, Abel made a glance around to see what everyone was up to. Her sister and Solomon were nowhere to be seen, suggesting they must've gone off into the city. Zoro, naturally, sat off to the side napping. Dogmeat looked up from the bone he gnawed at, giving a little tail thump before returning to his treat. With only one leg, he had to hold it awkwardly in the bend of his paw, teeth splintering the bone. His master was within his territory. All was right in his world.

The doctor was in, the little deer looking up upon hearing Abel enter. "Oh, Abel!" he greeted cheerfully. Based on the supplies spread out before him on the table, he was working on making more rumble balls. "Did you need something?"

"Just to borrow your equipment for a moment."

"Sure!"

As Abel placed the single vial on the centrifuge (which had been getting a lot of use lately), Chopper couldn't contain his curiosity. "'What are you working on?"

Leaving the device to spin, the whirring of the motor filling the room, Abel rested her hip against the side of the desk. "A hypothesis," she answered at length. Perhaps in wanting to have a like-mind to bounce ideas off of, Abel continued, "I may have found a way to transfer the hydra's regenerative abilities into something of medicinal value."

Chopper's eyes widened. "You mean like using it to regrow limbs, like the hydra did?" If that were true, and Abel could harness that sort of power... well, there's no telling how many lives that could save!

Abel made a face. "I'm not comfortable making such a bold claim. I don't think normal biology would allow for that level of regeneration." Could the human mind cope with regrowing a limb? "However, I do suspect it could accelerate the natural healing process, giving the body a significant jolt." The human body could recover from a remarkable amount of damage if it had the time and resources. Abel wasn't prepared to state she could regrow limbs, as that was beyond the bounds of what the body was normally capable of, but she might posit this could seal up normally fatal wounds. The difference between regrowing a heart and simply healing up a bullet hole.

"Even still," Chopper dismissed, "That would be a tremendous help to people."

"We'll see," was all Abel said on the matter. She glanced up. "What are you working on?"

Surprised by the sudden shift of focus onto him, Chopper fidgeted with his hat nervously. "Oh! I was seeing if I could improve my rumble ball formula."

While he left the statement ambiguous, Abel couldn't help asking, "I don't think you've ever explained how they work."

"I came across the effect by accident, really," he began, going back to grinding some powder to make it fine. "I was experimenting with different chemicals in Doctorine's lab— she always hated when I did that. She said I was wasting valuable ingredients by playing around." Abel quirked a brow while smiling, holding her tongue. Knowing Kureha, she expressed this opinion in more than just words. Still, the memory only brought a fond chuckle from the deer, as only one could knowing the deeper parts of another person kept hidden. "It was pretty scary the first time my body changed in weird ways! I had no control over it whatsoever! But I couldn't help but be curious about what else the chemicals could do." He grinned at Abel. "I'm sure you get it." Indeed she did.

Coming up beside the doctor, Abel picked up one of the finished rumble balls. They looked innocuous, resembling a tangerine-colored jawbreaker. "But how do they work?"

"You know that Zoan-type Devil Fruits normally allow for three different transformations, right?"

Abel nodded. "Fully human, fully animal, and something in between." They'd encountered quite a few over their journeys.

"Right. While no one really knows yet just how Devil Fruits alter the body, all Zoan-types can control their transformations at will. By simply thinking, we can change. The rumble balls are a way for me to temporarily distort the wavelength of the Devil Fruit, allowing me to learn different transformations."

Still examining the pill, Abel tilted her head thoughtfully. "You scramble the wavelength to push the signal's bandwidth and bend it to your own will for a time."

Chopper blinked. "I guess that's one way to put it." The analogy was a little lost on him, but it sounded like Abel had the right idea. "Without the brief change in my physiology the chemicals allow, I couldn't access those other transformations."

"Is that safe?" Abel didn't ask in a chastising manner. She talked about not pushing limits. But she'd never really known what the substance was doing to Chopper, so she'd never considered that those perks might be harmful. Every power has a drawback.

"Usually, yes." This drew the hunter's attention away from the ball as she eyed Chopper dubiously. Sensing her question, Chopper explained, "It's no different from any other drug. Too much can have harmful effects." Holding out his hoof, he took the medicine from Abel. "I can't eat too many of them within a short time. If I take two within a six-hour period, the wavelength becomes too erratic, and I can't control my transformations anymore. And if I take one more within that same window..."

Abel stared uncertainly at Chopper as he trailed off, head bowed so the brim of his hat shielded his face. "... ominous silence," she commented, trying to deflect the uncomfortable tension filling the room.

"I turn into a monster."

"Literal or figurative?"

"Both." Anxiously, Chopper rubbed at his blue nose. "My transformation goes out of control and I just... destroy everything. I don't even remember what happens. I'm completely out of it. I can't even tell who I'm attacking."

The guilt in his tone didn't sit right with Abel, any more than the time she had to see Luffy in tears. "This has happened before." It wasn't a question, as Chopper obviously wouldn't have felt this bad if he hadn't experienced it firsthand.

"Only twice, but that's enough. The first was when I was testing the limits of the rumble balls. The second was when we were trying to save Robin."

It took Abel a second to connect the dots. "That's why you couldn't move when we reunited on the boat."

Chopper nodded. "It takes a lot of energy to maintain that form, and I can't come out of it on my own. If Franky hadn't knocked me into the sea, I might've died."

Abel tilted her head back, the whirring of the centrifuge the only sound in the room as she pondered this news. There wasn't a single person in the crew who didn't push themself past the breaking point at one time or other, usually for the sake of their friends. Luffy, Zoro, Sanji... it was a regular occurrence for them, as sure as the sun rising. But even Nami and Usopp could dig down and find the fire and steel hidden in their souls when push came to shove. And even their little doctor, who would be the first to chastise them for going too far, wasn't immune.

Sniffling immediately snapped Abel's attention back to the present. She frowned at the noise, upset at herself for letting Chopper misinterpret her silence. "I'm sorry..." he mumbled pitifully, but for the life of her Abel couldn't figure out what he felt he needed to apologize for.

Knowing no other way to defuse the situation, she said as much. "For what? Fighting tooth and nail when backed into a corner and fearing for the life of a friend." She rested a hand atop his hat, letting the pressure push it down onto his skull. "Don't beat yourself up too much, Doc. You're only human."

Chopper didn't respond verbally, but Abel heard him suck in his tears, shoulders straightening and sitting a little taller.

Good deed done for the day, Abel took her now separated vial back to her office. But not before giving Dogmeat a little scratch along the way. Back in her office, Abel used a pipette to siphon out the heavier cells that had collected at the bottom of the vial. Unfortunately, there was no realistic way to separate the undifferentiated cells from the other blood and tissue cells in the sample; however, with the sample being sterilized, introducing those non-target cells into her test shouldn't have any negative impact on the results. At worst, the body's immune system would view them as invaders and do what the immune system does to all invading substances: eat them.

Filling another vial with more saline, Abel injected the cell matter into it. Holding her thumb over the open end of the vial, Abel shook the vial vigorously to distribute the cells throughout the solution. As she did, Abel used her free hand to drag over a chemical stabilizer. Nothing dangerous, but just something to keep the solution from separating again. Once she was content the solution was properly mixed, Abel added a few drops of the stabilizing agent and set the vial aside to rest. Now what to test it on...

While Abel doubted her concoction could do any harm, in order to properly test it she'd need to have an injury to heal. Bold though she may be, Abel didn't want to cut herself again if she could avoid it. Normally trials were done with animal subjects, but her only options there were Chopper, Dogmeat, and the snails— and she wasn't about to injure any of them. Well, Dogmeat would be the best candidate in terms of not feeling pain, but his undead state was a complicating variable, as she had no idea if the dog could heal at all. She could use one of the Rattus Infantem Manducans, as she would feel no guilt whatsoever over that, but wasn't too keen on tussling with them again so soon. "I wonder..." Abel murmured to herself.

Climbing back up the ladder, Abel made a beeline for the aquarium bar. The soft glow felt comforting in the perpetual darkness, but Abel was more interested in the dark shapes milling about inside. Seems Luffy hadn't convinced Sanji to cook all the fish just yet. Excellent. But after a search around the room, Abel couldn't find the necessary equipment she needed. So back down the ladder she went. She was certainly getting her cardio in today.

Having previously heard their voices coming from Franky's workshop on the opposite end of the ship from her own office, Abel followed the narrow hall to the bow. The door to Franky's workshop sat ajar, light pouring through the crack, along with the sounds of construction and excited talking. Without knocking, Abel pushed the door open. "Sparkplug, where do you and Boss leave—"

"Abel!" Usopp yelped, practically barreling into the woman and slapping his hands over her eyes. The hunter staggered back, startled by the unexpected assault. Before she could demand to know why Usopp had his hands on her face, the boy chastised, "You can't be in here! You'll ruin the surprise!"

"Yeah, babe," Franky's voice came from somewhere ahead. "Not super. I told you no peeking."

Abel pursed her lips. "I just wanted to ask where you and Boss left the fishing net," she explained. "If you wanted me to have no need of asking you things, perhaps it would behoove you to return them to their proper location."

"Oh!" Usopp replied in surprise, still not taking his hands from her face. "What do you need the net for?"

Even with her eyes covered, Abel made a face. "To paint a portrait," she quipped sarcastically. "It is a fishing net. I need it to net a fish. Is there anything else to be done with one?"

"I think I put it back in my factory," Usopp finally answered, brushing aside the sarcasm. "Didn't want Luffy to lose it."

"A wise choice." Taking Usopp's wrists in her hands, Abel finally pushed them away from her. "See how hard that was?" she taunted before spinning on her heel. True to his word, Abel found the net in Usopp's Factory, propped against his desk. She also grabbed an unused bucket along the way. She did need the fish alive, after all. She wasn't trying to kill it.

Zoro scowled as he heard the hatch open again. "What are you doing?" he demanded as Abel came back out, eyeing the net and bucket in her hands suspiciously.

"Working." Was all the response he got as she hustled up the stairs. Zoro just shook his head, not about to touch that vague statement.

Setting her equipment down next to her, Abel knelt and opened one of the hatches that fed into the aquarium. A few fish swam around inside, darting through the ornaments. Abel started with the bucket, dipping it down and drawing it back full. Now the hard part. Seating herself, as she might as well be comfortable while she waited, Abel held the net as she thought of the best way to approach this. She'd never owned a fishbowl, but she was willing to wager getting a fish in one was a lot easier than getting it out. She didn't have a lot of room to maneuver thanks to the hatch, so she'd need a bit of luck and patience. Just like in regular fishing.

At first, Abel tried holding the net in the water and waiting to see if one of the fish would just swim in unaware. No such luck. She didn't know if they could merely sense an obstacle in the water and thus avoided it, but none of them got near enough. Changing her strategy a bit, Abel held the net hovering above the water, waiting for a chance to swoop it in on an unsuspecting fish. She had a few missed attempts, with the slippery buggers cunningly escaping her, but eventually, she did get lucky and scooped a fish up. Shooting things was a lot easier.

Shielding her face to avoid getting any water in her eyes as the fish flopped around furiously, Abel reached a hand in and, as she'd been shown in the past, stuck a thumb into its mouth, pinching its top lip. Its tiny teeth pricked her fingers, but not enough to hurt. Based on the whiskers, it must've been some species of catfish. Dropping it in the bucket of water, Abel hoisted her prize under her arm while propping the net on her opposite shoulder. With her toe, she kicked the hatch closed. She ignored Zoro's raised eyebrow as she passed him again.

She was finally ready to run her experiment. Rolling up her sleeves and donning some surgical gloves, Abel prepared a syringe with a small dose of the mixture, letting it rest on the desk before she carefully reached into the bucket. She grasped the fish by the tail, mindful to avoid the sharp barbs on its fins. The fish, naturally, struggled in her grip, but she subdued it by pulling most of its body out of the water, leaving only its head submerged so it could still breathe. Cradling the fish's body against her forearm, Abel took a scalpel and made a long yet shallow incision along its side, slightly above the lateral line. It was quite fortunate the fish she managed to catch was a catfish, as they had skin instead of scales, making this easier to do. The cut was too shallow to draw blood but deep enough that it wouldn't just immediately heal together. With that completed, Abel carefully injected her experimental mixture into the damaged flesh. When she released her hold, the fish frantically splashed around for a moment before curling up along the bottom of the bucket, its mouth rhythmically opening to push water through its gills.

Abel waited for a few minutes. She had no idea how long the mixture took to take effect, if it did anything at all. When she'd cut her finger before, it had healed almost instantly. Once she could wait no longer, Abel fished out the fish's tail. Running her free finger along the skin, Abel could find no trace of imperfection in the skin. Poking and tugging revealed no cut or opening. Not even a scar remained.

Dropping the fish back into the water, Abel leaned back in her chair, pondering. It was only one experiment that supported her hypothesis. Nothing she'd be willing to stake someone's life on. Yet still... What do I have my hands on here? she wondered.

Ambrosia. Panacea. Aqua vitae. The mythical liquid had many names, but they all amounted to the same thing. Immortality. Abel scoffed at the notion. This discovery could hardly go that far. Healing wounds is a far cry from living forever. At best it merely means one wouldn't die from a fatal injury. Though... if aging - and by extension, death - are biologically nothing more than the failing of systems due to the body no longer being able to repair itself... Abel shook her head. Foolishness. It was an experimental concoction that would heal an injury once. Once the cells were used up and differentiated, that was it. It wouldn't confer some mystical ability to heal oneself or expand one's lifespan. Diseases had many nasty tricks to kill their host.

Her mind reeled with ethical and practical implications as she stared blankly at the fish, none the wiser in its little world. Images of humans trying to hunt hydra to extinction, or weirdos like that Marine who'd tried to hunt the Millennial Dragons for their bones, popped into her mind. The hunter sighed. There was no point in worrying about the what-ifs. Right now, she was the only one who knew, and even then, it was just an idea.

Abel carried the fish, bucket and all, back upstairs for the final time. Once again ignoring Zoro's snort at her reappearance, Abel carted the bucket over to the side of the ship. Resting the tin on the side, Abel once again grabbed the fish by the mouth. As she hoisted the catfish up, a call from behind drew her attention. Turning, she stared down at Charlie, who eyed the fish meaningfully before meowing again. Keeping gaze locked with the one-eyed beast, Abel deliberately chucked the fish back into the sea. She figured helping with her experiment had earned its freedom. Annoying the cat was just a bonus. Chucking the water over the side as well, Abel rested the now-empty bucket on her hip before casting a sidelong glance at the feline. "I'm still mad at you," she informed him, earning herself another snort from the nearby swordsman.

Again, Abel headed below deck. First, she dropped off the bucket and net in Usopp's Factory, diverting briefly to inform him of such from outside Franky's door. As she ducked around to her own room, Abel came up short. There, in the middle of the narrow hallway, sat Charlie. Abel frowned, cocking her head quizzically. "How did you get down here?" she asked, as if expecting the animal to actually answer her. She was certain she shut the hatch behind her, nary a cat in sight. Then again, cats were very good at getting places where it seemed impossible. Back home, one of their farming neighbors had a barn cat to keep out the mice, and Abel swore the beast took it as a challenge to find the most ridiculous places to show up in.

The cat, still obviously trying to get on Abel's good side, sat up on his hind legs and batted playfully with one paw. It was almost enough to break Abel's resolve. Steeling herself, she waggled a finger at him. "Don't try playing cutesy with me. I'm onto your games." Before her resolve cracked any further, Abel beat a hasty retreat, ducking into her office, shutting the door behind her as she went.

Sparing a glance at the shadow under the door, Abel turned to what to do with her experimental mixture. Not wishing to spend all day scoring fish, she decided to set it aside for the time being until she had a better opportunity to test it. Properly disposing of her used syringe to be sanitized later, Abel placed a stopper on the vial she'd been using. That still left her with the beaker of stabilized... what should she call it? As she pondered, Abel grabbed a spare filter flask, similar to a glass beaker but with a taper opening, meaning she could put a stopper in it.

She was just about to pick up the beaker when she heard the click of the handle behind her. Whirling around in surprise, Abel gawked as the door creaked open just a bit before stopping. Abel stared, wondering who was foolish enough to come in without knocking when a figure appeared near the base. Her surprise only increased when the culprit revealed itself to be Charlie, who used his head to butt the door open just enough for him to slink through. Did a cat just open a door? Charlie warbled at the bemused hunter. You are one persistent creature, Abel thought before dutifully ignoring the beast.

Safely transferring the mixture into the flask, Abel sealed it with a rubber stopper before writing out a label for it. Hydrachloric acid, she wrote, amusing herself at the wordplay. Hopefully, if anyone did manage to steal away down here, they'd think she'd merely misspelled hydrochloric acid and leave it be. Hydrochloric acid was highly corrosive, and not really worth stealing. Certainly not something anyone would think to ingest or pour on a wound. Even laypeople would turn away from the word "acid".

As she sat writing out the label, Charlie decided to try even harder to get Abel's attention. She did her best to ignore him as he jumped onto her desk. But then he started pulling out the big guns. Moving closer, Charlie pulled that move cats did when they really wanted your attention: a sort of front tumble, leaning their head down as they rolled forward, flopping down on their backs with their belly exposed. His butt nearly hit Abel's face, forcing the woman to sit back. Charlie curled his front paws demurely, twisting around, as if inviting Abel to pet his belly. His plan wouldn't work, however, as for one Abel knew the invitation to pet a cat's belly was always a trap that would result in clawed paws taking her hand prisoner and likely leading to a maw of sharp teeth. And two, she was still mad at him. Though she'd be lying if she said her veneer wasn't cracking.

Then, in a last-ditch effort, as Abel reached over the cat to put her pen away, Charlie reached out and grabbed her wrist, thankfully with claws retracted as his paws wrapped around her limb as best they could without thumbs. Holding her hand, Charlie rubbed his head against her palm, looking quite pleased with himself. Sighing, Abel finally relented, allowing her fingers to scratch along his forehead. "You consarned creature," she mumbled, vexed by this oddly insistent cat. "All right," she said. "You want to get back in my good graces?"

Freeing her hand, Abel rummaged in her supplies for a dropper. Taking just a smidge of her saline solution, Abel cradled Charlie's head with her free hand before squeezing a drop onto his torn ear. She carefully massaged the solution into the torn tip before letting go. Charlie shook his head, rubbing his paw at the wet feeling on his ear. The results should be interesting, given that not only was the torn ear an old wound, but he'd also recently reinjured it during his scrap with the rats. Would the solution completely heal the injury, regrowing the ear entirely, or just heal the new wound?

As Charlie tried to clean off the substance, which Abel didn't try to stop as she knew it would pose no threat to the cat, she set out her notebook to record the findings, making note of the time before placing the remaining solution into her cabinets for safekeeping. Returning, Abel examined the wound and made notes of any findings. Immediate exposure... scab has reduced in length by half.

To pass the time while she waited, Abel decided to see if she could figure out how to process the photos she'd taken. Leaving the cat to its own devices for the time being, Abel pulled out her instruction book and began scanning the pages while gathering the supplies she'd need. With the negatives good to go, it seemed the next step would be making some test prints. Abel smiled to herself, as this meant she'd finally get to use the enlarger she'd installed behind the cabinets. Pushing the door closed with her foot, Abel flicked the lights off before opening the cabinets. Immediately the safe light came on, dousing the room in amber light. She'd installed the enlarger in the space next to the sink. It looked a lot like a bellows camera, but mounted with the lens facing down on a tripod that Abel could move up and down, making the photo larger or smaller. Reaching around behind, Abel turned on the lamp in the top of the enlarger. A stream of light came from the lens and onto the counter below. Setting the instructions on the cabinet, Abel read over them as she pulled the negatives and timer closer. She set the timer at the recommended start of three seconds, and also adjusted the lens to the recommended aperture.

Abel paused as she pulled out the containers that would hold the chemicals needed to finish the photos to check on Charlie's progress. It was a bit awkward, checking the wound in amber light, but Abel did jot down her findings. One minute post exposure... quarter-centimeter skin growth... pink... no visible scabbing or scarring... Very interesting.

Back to the photography experiment, Abel sat out three tins and poured in the respective liquid. They were all the same chemicals she'd used initially to develop her negatives: the developer, stop bath, and fixer. Seated on the couch, Charlie gave a sneeze at the pungent aroma. Returning to the enlarger, Abel removed one sheet of exposure paper from the protective black bag, as well as a heavy piece of plate glass. Leaning over the instructions, Abel read, "Lay negative strips over exposure sheet, glossy side up." Abel snipped the negatives into strips to fit in a protective sleeve, and set that over the exposure paper. "Lay glass plate over to ensure good contact with the exposure sheet." Simple enough. "Set timer to first exposure." Checking that she had the paper lined up with the lens, Abel pressed the button on the timer. A loud beep resounded as the lens opened, shining down on the paper for the allotted time.

Checking back with the guide, Abel read that she needed a thick piece of paper to continue her exposure tests. A thick folder should do the trick. She held the folder over a quarter of a negative sleeve and pushed the button again. Abel repeated the process three more times, exposing each quarter to more and more light intervals. That would leave her with a test of three seconds, six seconds, nine seconds and twelve seconds of light exposure. "Now to develop." The instructions recommended tongs, but as the only pair on the ship were Sanji's, Abel opted to merely use gloved hands.

But before she doused her hands in chemicals, Abel returned to Charlie, still dozing on the sofa. He peeked open his good eye as he felt Abel sit beside him. Giving him a placating scratch with her other four fingers at the same time, Abel ran her thumb along the edge of the torn ear. Five minutes post exposure... no further growth detected... no visible injury. Abel gave him a further chin scratch for being such a good patient before returning to the vats.

First the sheet went into the developer. As Abel lightly moved the sheet around, mimicking the agitation process from before, she got a real-time view of the exposure sheet reacting. Fairly quickly, the sheet began to grow darker, first vague hints of images until the sheet of negatives — now positives — came into view. The borders between where the negatives had sat were stark black, having received pretty much one-hundred percent exposure. And even without further examination, Abel could tell the sections with only three second exposure were too light and faint, while the section with twelve seconds was too dark.

After one-and-a-half minutes in the developer, Abel removed the sheet, letting it drip for a moment before transferring it into the stop bath. She repeated the process, rotating the sheet in the liquid, for ten seconds before moving onto the final step and putting it inside the tin with the fixer. According to her instructions, for her test sheet, she only needed to let it fix for about fifteen seconds. When she began developing pictures she actually wanted to keep, she'd have to leave it for three minutes. She'd also have to rinse them off. For now, however, she had everything she needed. Holding the test sheet up to view, Abel studied the middle two exposure ratios. As they both looked pretty good, at least to her novice eyes, Abel decided to split the difference and made the exposure time about eight seconds. Excitedly, Abel prepared to finally develop her first real photo. And she knew exactly which one would be first. She had a promise to keep, after all.

Naturally, finishing an actual photograph was slightly more complicated than "lay negative on top of paper." In order to make a full-sized photo, Abel had to load her selected negative into a negative carrier. This was a metal tray that almost resembled a press. Two thin sheets of metal were attached, with the top being able to pivot up. Both sheets had a window cut from the middle as well as a little metal protrusion to act as a handle when placing or removing the carrier in the enlarger. Abel carefully lined the negative she wanted to enlarge up with the window and shut the lid. She slid open the middle of the bellows-like section of the enlarger and slid the tray inside, moving it around until she felt it catch in place. Without paper below, Abel could safely adjust the aperture and distance of the lens, studying the projected image on her cabinet until she got it in focus. Adjusting her timer to eight seconds, Abel lined the exposure paper before and then pressed the button.

Following the same procedure from the test print, only allowing the photo to rest for slightly longer in each bath so it would keep for, hopefully, a long time, Abel rinsed the finished sheet before finally turning the lights back on. Holding the dripping paper up, Abel smiled as her crewmates smiled brightly back at her. Not too shabby for her first attempt. It might be nicer in color, but that required better equipment than what she had. Abel decided she'd need to go into town and buy a frame before presenting it to their captain. Luffy'd like that.

Before that, though, Abel had one more photo she was eager to develop.

Pinning the Straw Hat group photo up to dry, Abel returned to her sleeve of negatives. She pulled out the one she wanted: the solid white frame with the black spot in the middle. Abel switched out the negatives in her carrier before replacing it inside the enlarger. When she turned on the lens, white light spread across her cabinet counter, save for a black form in the middle. If she was correct, when the photo developed it should be entirely black save for this white... thing. Her hope was that she'd be able to make it out more clearly if it were bigger. Abel repeated the process from before, focusing the image on the cabinet top before placing an exposure sheet below and hitting the button. The black shape really stood out against the snow-white page.

Eagerly, Abel took the sheet over to the baths. Dropping it in the developer, Abel began to see black blooming on the paper. Leaving it to soak for a moment, Abel turned back to Charlie, as she wanted to measure any further progress now that it had been twenty minutes since his dosage. She grew concerned, however, when she saw the state of the cat. His blue-grey fur stood on ends, puffing him out. His ears lay back, pupils blown wide and glinting in the amber light, and it seemed if he had any tail left it would be twitching violently. Abel frowned, worried he was having some reaction to the dosage. Was it not as safe as she hypothesized?

She managed a single step toward the cat before, without warning, the safe light went out, dousing the entire room in darkness. Startled by suddenly losing her sight, Abel's head snapped uselessly toward the cabinet. Had the light already blown? Hands out in front to guide her way, Abel walked toward the cabinet to replace it. Her fingers had just barely graced the rim of the counter when, from behind, she heard Charlie began to growl. The sound was so different from what she was used to, having become acclimated to dog sounds, that it sent a quick shot of the shivers down her back. Abel turned, looking blindly in his direction. She couldn't see him, her eyes not having adjusted to the dark just yet, but she could visualize him based on his sounds. He gave a high-pitched, droning yowl, warbling off at the end. Abel could imagine him bowed up, whiskers spread out, licking his lips like Dogmeat did when he felt anxious. Not the sounds of an angry cat ready to launch into battle, but of a scared cat trying to warn someone away. Perhaps reacting instinctively to the sound, Abel attempted to ease the beast. "Calm down," she gently chided. "No need to be afraid of the dark." Charlie continued his yowling unabated.

Tuning out the goosebumps on her arms, Abel bent to retrieve another bulb from storage. As her knees touched the ground, the room went silent. And it was in that silence that Abel began to hear it; the soft dripping. So distinct was the sound that it forced Abel to freeze. For a moment, she thought the ship might be leaking, except it wasn't a trickling sound associated with water seeping in from the walls, but that of water dropping from a height. And close. Fearing that perhaps the aquarium might be leaking, Abel decided to forgo the bulb and turn on the light to get a better look.

It was then that she sensed it. The distinct, unmistakable energy of someone else in the room. She felt more than saw movement out of the corner of her eye. And not from the direction Charlie should be, but by her desk. Where the tins of chemicals sat.

Hair standing on end from the shot of adrenaline, Abel whirled up and around to face that direction. But she couldn't see anything. She couldn't see anything. Despite the fact that her eyes had adjusted enough to see the trace outline of the sofa and ottoman off to the side, when she stared directly toward her desk, she saw nothing but blackness. A curtain of pitch black.

Abel's right hand began to prickle. Not in pain, but more of an itching sensation, causing her to rub her thumb against her palm to alleviate it. She didn't know why, but she had the distinct impression that something in the blackness was staring back at her. Both staring at the other, trapped in a contest to see who would make the first move. All sound faded into nothing, as if Abel'd been submerged underwater. She even felt the pressure on her eardrums, tangible so that if she reached out she could touch it. Heavy. Stifling. Suffocating.

Suddenly, several loud sounds shattered the stalemate like a cannon blast, shocking Abel from her trance like a bucket of ice water, deadened nerves suddenly alight. As something loudly clattered against the floor, Abel lunged for the light switch. When the lights came on, Abel found herself alone in the room, save for a wet and angry cat, and a mess on the floor where one of the tins had been knocked off the desk and spilled its contents on the floor. The silence and tingling were gone, leaving only a sense of breathless confusion behind.

As she tried to make sense out of what just happened, the door behind her swung open dramatically. Abel wasn't too proud to admit that she pulled her crossbow on the culprit, a hair's trigger away from shooting Zoro in the face.

A deep scowl of apprehension etched on his brow, Zoro wordlessly took stock of the state of the room before turning his attention squarely on Abel. As she lowered her weapon, calming down, Abel didn't miss how Zoro's hands remained affixed to his swords. "What happened?" he demanded.

Abel could only stare back, dumbfounded. "Huh?" she managed.

"The dog started going crazy, scratching at the hatch. Then I heard a crash down here." Zoro eyed the mess again before settling his attention back to the uncharacteristically harried hunter.

"Was that what I heard?" Abel wondered, not answering the question. Dogmeat's barking, combined with Charlie knocking the tin over, must've been what broke her out of... whatever that was. As to what actually happened...

Abel stared hard at the mess. Tilting the knocked-over tin up, she found the exposure paper underneath. Letting the pan fall over carelessly, Abel grabbed the paper. Flipping it over revealed a completely black page. Whether that was from overexposure due to the light before it had been fixed, or being left in the chemicals too long, she couldn't say. Or... Introspectively, Abel murmured, "Wer mit Ungeheuern kämpft, mag zusehn, dass er nicht dabei zum Ungeheuer wird. Und wenn du lange in einen Abgrund blickst, blickt der Abgrund auch in dich hinein. Friedrich Nietzsche's Beyond Good and Evil." Before Zoro could question if the woman had finally lost her mind, staring at a black page while speaking gobbledygook, she suddenly asked, "Do you know how to bathe a cat?"


It was difficult to say who was grumpier; the cat Abel was currently trying to bathe or the swordsman. Both were giving her the best death glare they could manage, but for entirely different reasons. The swordsman was being grumpy because she had yet to address his previous question. The cat, because Abel had it in a vice grip in the sink. Washing a cat was something Abel never thought she'd have to do. Under normal circumstances they were self-cleaning, after all. But this wasn't the normal circumstance. Charlie'd gotten the developer spilled on him and needed to be cleaned. The chemical could be toxic if ingested (i.e. if the cat licked itself). To counteract this, Abel used regular vinegar to neutralize the base before rinsing him off in the kitchen sink. She, of course, used a thick pair of work gloves to avoid being scratched or bitten, holding Charlie securely by the scruff. With his fur cleaned and nontoxic, Abel gave him a brisk rub with a towel to dry off before finally releasing him. Predictably, he bolted, taking off like... well, an angry, wet cat.

Mindlessly tossing the work gloves aside, Abel rested a hand on Dogmeat's worried head to steady them both. The beast had been glued to her leg since she'd come up. Abel wondered if he'd somehow sensed... whatever that was. She'd always heard that cats could see the supernatural, while dogs could hear it. Charlie certainly acted like he saw something, and a cat's eyes were better than a human's in the dark. And of course nothing further needed to be stated about dogs' hearing. As Dogmeat whined, wanting Abel to actually pet him rather than just rest her hand on him, Abel stared into his one good eye. He did that before, didn't he? she thought. When she'd been messing with the negatives before, and she got caught up— In the blackness.

Zoro found himself quickly losing his temper. While that wasn't unheard of when he dealt with the crew, it had grown rare in regards to Abel. Yet as she seemed to forget his presence, her shifting thoughts visible on her face, he had to restrain himself from grabbing the woman. Taking a deep, bracing breath, Zoro settled for placing one hand on the counter beside her, effectively bringing himself into her glazed-over line of sight.

Seems the woman truly had forgotten about him, as she blinked away the fog, looking at him in surprise. Gaze boring into those hazel windows, Zoro firmly yet patiently asked, "What. Happened?"

Perhaps sadly, Abel's natural instinct was to brush him off. Not out of rudeness, but out of habit of keeping things to herself. Yet she knew better. There was no escaping the swordsman when he'd set a target. And she had promised to be more forthright. "I'm not entirely sure," she answered at length.

"But you have a theory."

"I've trained you too well," Abel half-joked, shifting to alleviate her discomfort. "And it's a hypothesis." Needing to break eye contact for a moment just to get some relief, Abel returned her gaze to Zoro as she exposited, "You remember the place behind the staircase. When I was still trying to understand it, I'd taken several photographs. Developing them revealed most to be empty. Not even the trees visible. Most... but not all. One had... something on it. A black... spot. Which technically should mean it was a bright figure, but whatever." Abel got herself back on track. "I think whatever it was bled over into the present. Something in that room upset the cat, and probably Dogmeat as well."

Zoro frowned. Not because he didn't believe Abel, but simply trying to make sense. "What do you mean by 'bled over'?"

"There are certain superstitions connected with photographs," Abel explained. "Many so-called parapsychologists often tout the camera's ability to capture supernatural phenomena. Ghostly figures, unexplained distortions, orb sprites... some people even believe the camera can steal the soul of the subject, literally capturing their essence. I've never put much stock into their claims. Merely the human mind's faulty pattern recognition and confirmation bias. But who's to say what would happen to a photograph captured from some otherworldly plane?"

"You think something was trying to come out from the picture?" Zoro summarized.

Now it was Abel's turn to frown. "Not precisely... at least I don't believe so." Zoro wasn't sure he liked how uncertain Abel sounded. But before he could question it, Abel beat him to it. "Do you recall when we fought the eurynomos and an invisible force lifted me off the ground?" Zoro nodded. "Perhaps it was that. Or rather, a glimpse of such a creature." It certainly didn't look like the eurynomos or noppera-bo. On that side of the stairs, both of those creatures had been fully visible. Hell, if anything they should be invisible on the film, just like the forest.

"How do you know?" Zoro asked.

Abel pursed her lips. "Just a hunch..."

Zoro watched as Abel idly rubbed at her right palm, though the woman didn't seem to notice her actions. Instead, he questioned, "You think there's some invisible monster loose on the ship?"

"No," Abel quickly corrected, ceasing her fidgeting. "I don't think there's anything here. I don't sense anything now..." She nodded to her calm but worried dog. "And he's not reacting anymore. To be honest, I don't think anything was actually here, in the tangible sense. Merely... peering out. I mean, if stairs can bridge the gap, who's to say there's not another method?" Talking things out, putting her ruminating thoughts into words, helped Abel feel more confident in her conjectures. "Still, it never hurts to err on the side of caution."

Zoro jolted when Abel unexpectedly pushed passed him, heading for the door. "Where are you going?"

Not looking back, she replied, "Believe it or not, I don't tend to keep large quantities of purifying agents on the ship." She gave a humorless snort. "Perhaps I should start."

Caine and Solomon were on the deck, back from wherever they'd disappeared to. Approaching, Abel pointed a finger at her sister, immediately garnering her attention. "You," she greeted. Caine raised a brow, but otherwise waited to see what her sister wanted. "While I'm out, go down into my office and retrieve the film strip from the machine by the sink. Sparkplug or Franky can assist if you don't know what I'm talking about." Abel pantomimed with her hands, as if holding the film strip herself. "Take the negatives, salt, and burn them. But do it outside, as the smoke produced may be toxic."

Both Caine and Solomon's faces morphed into concern. While her sister might prefer to deal with monsters with her sword, that didn't mean she didn't know about other methods. "Just what did you take a picture of that needs purification?" Caine asked.

"Something not good, obviously," came Abel's sharp retort. The hunter paused at the ladder upon seeing her two tagalongs. "Can I help you?" she asked. While Dogmeat gave a warbling bark, Zoro crossed his arms stubbornly. Abel would've laughed at how easily she read both of them. Instead, she joked, "A man willingly volunteering to go shopping with a woman? Dire times indeed." Abel didn't feel the need for an escort, but could admit to herself that she has been neglecting them and the company would be nice, so she said nothing else.

As the trio exited the ship, Caine and Solomon watched them leave. "Whaddya think?" Caine asked her husband.

Solomon answered, "I don't know... he looked more like a bodyguard than a date."

Caine hummed in agreement. "Yeah. Probably not." Sighing at another crossed off their list, she said, "Let's go see what trouble my sister's gotten into this time."

Abel paid little mind to her entourage, her destination clearly marked in her mind. The first of probably several stops along the way. As they cut through the alley, Dogmeat sneezed. "I concur," Abel murmured, agreeing with his assessment of the omnipresent incense lingering on the fog. Given the brutal murder, it didn't surprise Abel that the people were back to hiding in their homes, offerings and incense standing guard outside their doors. Abel wondered if the attack was truly the work of the Sternenhimmels or something else. It didn't seem to match their modus operandi, just based on what everyone said. Bashing someone's face in doesn't lend to deniable plausibility. That's an act of extreme anger. And just because there was a cult didn't automatically mean other wicked people didn't exist on the island. Hell, if anything using the cult as scapegoats would be the perfect way to remove suspicion.

Crossing into the main street, the same eerie silence greeted them as on the first day they arrived. Darkness covered the lanes, save for the tiny pricks offered by the meager incense sticks burning away. Crinkling her nose, Abel's eyes landed on the bakery. One of the eponymous ravens sat upon the lamp globe, warming its feet as it stared the pirates down before cawing and flying off. With the dull flame flickering above the door, Abel entered the shop.

She expected to find the baker behind the counter like last time, or at least to come in from the back upon hearing the tinkle of the bell. Yet after several minutes of standing awkwardly by the counter, they saw nary a sign of the woman. Resting her hand on the counter, wishing there'd been a bell to ring, Abel glanced over her shoulder. "The lantern was lit," she murmured.

"Maybe she stepped out," Zoro responded, still leaning against the open door, scowling as Dogmeat slowly sniffed his way inside.

Abel gave a mild noise of agreement. "I'd hope to ask her where I could purchase incense, as it's closer than the church, but I supposed we'll have to ask Padre."

With the dog finally inside, Zoro stepped away from the door, allowing it to swing closed. It slammed shut a bit more harshly than he intended, making them both flinch as the bell clanged noisily through the silent shop. A moment later, another clatter echoed, this time from another room. It sounded like something heavy falling, and rushing footsteps up wooden steps. At the sound of someone seemingly running toward them, the two pirates were on alert, hands going for their weapons as they directed their attention at the door. Not the one leading to the kitchen behind the counter, but to the far-left side of the shop. Their concerns were misplaced, however, where upon swinging open, the runner was revealed to be the baker herself.

The state of the woman alone was enough to throw the pirates off guard. Gone was her immaculate, demure poise. The thin woman huffed, more out of breath than a short jog up the stairs should have warranted. Her coiffed hair fell out of place, flyaways sticking to her sweaty face. Somehow her visage was even paler and gaunter than before, though that may have been the effect of her dark eye makeup running, creating streaks down her face. The woman's wild, panicked eyes darted about, hands clinging to the doorframe as if she expected them to rush her at any moment.

Upon realizing who they were, the baker let out a shaky breath. Abel subconsciously took a step toward the woman as she visibly deflated, fearing she was about to collapse. Seeing the woman flinch made her step back, however. "Es bist nur du..." she murmured, and even to Zoro's untrained ears sounded relieved.

Sucking in a much-needed breath, the baker attempted to compose herself. Clutching her hands nervously together, she fidgeted as she said, "Es tut mir Leid. Ich bin gerade nicht geöffnet."

"Ihre Laterne war angezündet," Abel explained, motioning to the door, explaining the misunderstanding.

The baker blinked, somewhat dazed and frazzled. "Oh..." was all she said. She gave a weak laugh, brushing some of the sweaty strands from her face. Attempting to regain some professionalism, the woman meekly met Abel's gaze. "Es tut mir Leid," she apologized again. "Kannst du ein anderes Mal zurückkommen?" Her tentative smile swiftly melted, however, at the looks both Abel and Zoro gave her. "Was?" she asked, growing nervous again.

Concerned, Abel took a careful step toward the baker, one hand extended as non-threateningly as possible. "Du bist verletzt," Abel softly explained. Unbeknownst to the baker, when she'd brushed her hair back, she'd left a streak of red on her face. The sharp contrast in colors immediately drew the pirates' attention to the woman's hands. In her fidgeting, they saw how badly cut up they were, even the point of smearing red along her white apron.

The woman stared, gobsmacked, as if not fully comprehending, almost to the point that Abel feared she'd said the wrong thing. It wasn't until her hand carefully touched the baker's, attempting to unclasp them to get a good at her injury, that the woman startled to her senses. Tears sprung to her eyes, confirming Abel's guess that the marks on her face weren't from sweat but tears. Rather than letting Abel see her hands, the woman clenched them to her chest hard enough to cause droplets of blood to drip onto the floor. "Es tut mir Leid!" she repeated for the third time before bolting for the door, abandoning her own shop.

As the bell quieted, leaving the pirates in silence again, they could only stare at where the woman had left, so eager to escape that she'd left two strangers with full access to her store. "What was all that about?" Zoro couldn't help wondering. Half expecting an answer from his companion, Zoro turned in time to see Abel entering the door the baker'd come out of. "Where are you going!?"

As the where and why seemed abundantly obvious, Abel didn't bother answering, instead following the narrow wooden steps down into the cellar. In her haste, the baker had even left the lantern lit, allowing Abel to fully see the room. For the most part, it looked like any cellar. Boxes of miscellaneous, unneeded items... a rack filled with jars of some sort of preserves... a few pallets of flour and sugar hopefully stored away from the rats. Pretty normal stuff... all except for one glaring thing smack dab in the middle of the room. That's where Zoro caught up with her, kneeling over a heavy metal lid. "It's an entrance to the catacombs," Abel answered before Zoro could ask.

"Guess that guy was right," Zoro replied, referring to Leif's claim about many different entrances.

Running her fingers along the edge of the rim, Abel reported back, "It's been welded shut." As she pulled back, Abel noticed residue on her fingertips. The red color made it obvious. Blood. Rubbing the fluid off her hands, Abel frowned in contemplation. "What was she doing?" she wondered aloud.

"She must've cut her hands on it," Zoro answered.

"Yeah, but... why? You saw her hands; it wasn't just a simple nick. They were practically mangled." Abel mimicked the sort of desperate, clawing motion the baker would have to have made to cause that sort of injury. "You only see that sort of damage when someone's frantic to get out... or in, in this case. But what could she have been so desperate to get this open for? Why go to the catacombs?"

"To get away from something?" Zoro suggested.

Abel pursed her lips. "Mayhaps. Though I wonder what's scary enough that a tomb is a preferable choice." Standing, Abel decided, "Guess it's not for us to say. Whatever she intended clearly didn't work. We should probably get out of here before someone finds us poking around."

The trio left the shop, hesitating only to consider if they should lock the door behind them, as it was unoccupied. Though they reasoned the woman might not have taken her key with her, and didn't want to add to her turmoil, so they left it be. Abel hadn't wanted to visit the Padre just to ask where to find an apothecary, but now it seemed she had little other choice short of wandering aimlessly around the town. The town remained deathly silent as they traversed the road, the only living souls save for the chatter of ravens. Occasionally they heard the distant clattering of horse hooves, fading into the fog, but never caught a glimpse of a carriage. Between the fog and gentle wind, it almost felt as if the town itself was holding its breath in anticipation.

The candlelight from the church did its best to cut through the gloom, but seemed choked out, flickering vainly. Still, any sign of life was welcome. Light flooded into the courtyard when they opened the large doors, defiant against the oppression outside, and a much-welcomed relief. Despite its age, the church felt warmer than the cold emptiness outside. A literal sanctuary. Speaking of which, peeking into the sanctuary, the pirates found Father Jean knelt at the altar, deep in prayer. Draped over the back of one of the pews, a sister similarly occupied in fervent prayer. Not wanting to interrupt someone's religious practice, Abel kept the group standing, rather awkwardly, near the foyer, waiting for the Padre to finish.

As she did, Abel raised a brow at the way Zoro eyed Dogmeat. "Expecting him to burst into flames?" she questioned in a whisper.

"He is a zombie," Zoro replied.

"For one, he's not evil," Abel retorted. "And even if he was, it would require a strong belief either in himself or another person to do any harm. Iconography has no innate power, only the strength of a person's convictions and intent." There was nothing inherently holy about any symbol other than the faith ascribed by the holder. On their own they were just pictures or relics. Hence why Dogmeat was no more bothered by being inside the church than he was in the bakery, mildly sniffing at some of the candelabras.

Abel didn't know if their voices carried, or if he was simply finished with his prayer, but Father Jean stood from kneeling then. He blinked in surprise upon spotting them before his face warmed into a smile. Without disturbing the sister, Father Jean moved to greet them. "It's good to see you again, my friends. What can I do for you?"

"We're not interrupting your duties, are we?" Abel asked.

The priest shook his head. "No, we have been praying for the safe return of the child that was taken last night, as well as comfort to the grieving family."

"They have family left?" Zoro asked.

"I believe both the man and woman had siblings and other extended family in the city. No doubt they're both grieving and fearing for their losses."

Reassured she wasn't pulling him away from anything at the moment, Abel asked, "Is there a local apothecary? I'm in need of some items."

"There are several, as I'm sure you'd guess, and no doubt open at a time like this to offer wares to the frightened. I can lead you."

Abel smiled. "You don't have to go to that much trouble. Unlike some present company, I know how to follow directions."

Chuckling as Zoro scowled at the comment, Father Jean insisted, "It's no trouble. It's not far, and a little daily exercise is good for these old bones."

Father Jean grabbed a heavy cloak to ward off the growing chill before leading them out, sparing a brief word to the sister to let her know where they were heading. Father Jean's pleasant demeanor helped ward off some of the oppressive, stifling darkness as he led them to the store. Perhaps to take his mind off current events, the priest led the conversation to safer, more pleasant topics centering around what was going on back at Labyrinthe. Lingering slightly behind the two, always vigilant against danger, Zoro watched as Abel told the priest about the many changes that had happened to the town since he left. He asked after her family, which naturally led to the topic of how Abel had become a pirate. Abel again proved herself to be a competent storyteller, knowing the most potent words to use and the right inflections to keep attention high without the grand embellishments certain others in their crew might be prone to. Zoro idly wondered if it was Abel's fascination with folklore and stories that led to her unique and slightly decorous choice of words, thinking that Robin had a similar style of speaking. Maybe that's just how really educated people spoke. Though Zoro suspected Abel talked that way out of choice as opposed to being unknowingly influenced, as she could quite poignantly not talk that way, and typically did so for effect. What was life without a little passion and drama, right?

All the while, Father Jean listened attentively. He expressed his horror at learning about the monster that had besieged the town for several years, and openly expressed gratitude toward Zoro for helping rid the town of the problem. There were faint traces of almost parental pride that Abel had kept so many people safe using her developing skills. And of course, that meant he also had to chastise her for some of her reckless behaviors, but his words lacked real ire. Only concern. The old man laughed when Abel regaled him with less serious stories about the antics of the townsfolk he'd spent so many years with. He shook his head at the more sordid and seedy gossip.

Before Abel had the chance to flip the conversation back to what the Padre had been up to, he announced, "Here we are."

Like most of the other shops, this one was part of the townhouses around it, distinguished by the shop sign hanging above the door. Fernand's Apotheker. Fernand's Apothecary, in common. Not the most creative title, but names didn't always denote the quality of the products. Both the lantern lit by the door and the light streaming from between the blinds told them the store was, indeed, open. As Abel pushed the heavy iron door open, she immediately knew they were in the right place.

The apothecary, a fancy and slightly outdated term for a pharmacy, was very welcoming and well-stocked. The shelving and finishes were a mix of natural wood textures and olive-green varnish that, combined with the abundant lighting, creating a very pleasing atmosphere. Or it might've been the familiar scent of freshly ground herbs that reminded her of home that eased any tension. Display shelves lined both sides of the store, stocked with glass containers for powdered and fresh herbs alongside bottles of oils and ready-mixed concoctions. A few small, round tables dotted the empty floor space, displaying unique mixes for teas. As she eyed some of the containers, Abel headed for the back, where the counter stood. Behind the long, wooden counter, an old oriental apothecary storage shelf had been built in. Dozens of wooden square shelves stretched all the way up to the ceiling, necessitating a sliding ladder to access the higher items. A register sat front and center, beside it a scale and packaging supplies for custom orders. And at the far end, a man sat hunched over a mortar and pestle, diligently grinding away.

Hearing their footsteps on the hardwood floor, the man finally raised his gaze to them. He has a face that made it hard to distinguish his exact age. Concentration lines framed his eyes, likely from years of staring at small figures, and there was a gaunt hardness to his features, yet he also didn't look overly old either, hair still black as night and eyes crystal clear. At least once he blinked the fog away. Eyes focusing on them, he stood from his hunched stance, body as tall and gaunt as the rest of him. Brushing off his not-quite doctor's coat, he greeted, "Ah, Vater. Schöner Tag."

"Schöner Tag, Fernand," Father Jean greeted back, addressing the man as the shop's proprietor. Gesturing to Abel, he continued, "Mein Freund hier benötigt Ihre Dienste."

Fernand's eyes settled on Abel before darting to Zoro, skulking in the doorway, looking completely out his element. "Dies müssen die Fremden sein, über die niemand aufhören kann zu reden, herumschnüffeln."

It didn't surprise Abel to hear news of their presence had spread. "Wir sind das Gespräch der Stadt, wohin wir auch gehen."

"Ein gefährlicher Trend," Fernand dryly replied. "Wenn Sie nach einer Möglichkeit suchen, Menschen abwehren, haben Sie leider kein Glück."

"Die Waffen machen das gut genug," Abel retorted, gesturing to the crossbows ever-present on her legs. "Ich brauche etwas, das gegen weniger körperliche Bedrohungen wirksam ist." Fernand raised a brow at this. And while he kept his expression neutral, Abel saw intrigue spark in his eyes.

Quickly sensing that he was out of his element, not to mention having no idea what anyone was actually saying, Zoro made himself comfortable on the little stoop leading from the main showroom to the door. Father Jean and Dogmeat joined him soon enough, leaving Abel to talk shop with the apothecary.

"Erzähl mir von deinen Bedürfnissen," Fernand began, taking out a notepad to take notes.

"Ich habe Grund zu der Annahme, dass etwas versucht... sich an mich zu binden," Abel began explaining her needs. "Ich möchte eine durchführen..." She trailed off, not quite sure of the appropriate germanic word. "Reinigungsritual?"

Fernand eyed Abel seriously. "Haben Sie schon einmal ein Reinigungsritual versucht?"

"Leider," Abel replied drolly. She didn't feel the need to go into details about how or why she knew how to do a purification ritual.

Fortunately, the man took her at face value, nodding. "Was hast du damals benutzt?" he asked instead, wanting to gauge Abel's past experience.

"Der Salbei." The last time she'd had to cleanse a space, she'd used sage.

Fernand nodded, jotting something down in scratchy notes. "Diese ... Bedrohung," he began. "Geist? Dämon?"

Anywhere else and Abel might wonder why he was so quick to believe her claims. "Ich bin mir nicht sicher," she admitted, not having an answer as to exactly what it was. "Aber es kann lange Strecken zurücklegen."

Fernand frowned, understanding why Abel chose to mention the thing not being confined to one space. "Also kein Geist." Abel had to agree with his conclusion that, whatever it was, it probably wasn't a ghost in the traditional sense. Ghosts tended to be linked to a very confined area. She found it unlikely that, even capturing a picture of one, it could follow her. No, for it to still be able to reach out two islands and days away, it was something more powerful than a mere specter. Specters can't interact with the word directly- and they certainly can't pick people up. That helped narrow the field... and not to anything good.

Without any further questions, Fernand began to busy himself by opening up various drawers, pulling out their contents and setting them on his preparation table. There were stalks of some flowering plant with white, tulip-shaped buds. Another simply looked like a species of long grass. Another was thin cuts of some type of pale orangish wood. And the final resembled long sprigs of dried pine needles. Setting everything up, Fernand began assembling a custom smudge bundle, explaining the ingredients to Abel as he went. At the center of the bundle were long sticks of palo santo, literally "holy wood", a good place to start. It supposedly helped purify negativity and offer healing and protection. Fernand emphasized that this (expensive) ingredient was rare at this potency, claiming for it to be fully effective the tree had to die naturally, versus being cut down. Then he weaved together braids of the long grass, dried sweet grass, which brought positivity and good luck. Around this core, he bundled the flowering plant, black sage, with the needles, cedar. According to Fernand, cedar was not only good for cleaning out a space, but helped revive the mind and spirit, warding off sickness and exhaustion. Abel made a joke asking if he was commenting on her appearance, but the man didn't reply. She couldn't help wondering if he always went through such elaborate explanations for all clients, and couldn't help noticing he seemed to be making a concentrated effort to allow her to watch the process.

While this was going on, Zoro zoned out, watching the empty street through the window, while Father Jean cautiously pet Dogmeat, who stood like a silent sentry. "How did you come across such a strange creature?" he couldn't help wondering.

"A necromancer raised him from the dead to fight Abel, but I guess he got attached," Zoro summarized bluntly. "Been sticking around ever since." Dogmeat gave a derisive snort toward the comment.

"Bored already?" Abel's voice called behind them.

Tilting his head back, Zoro raised a brow. "Did you get enough?"

Abel grinned, carting a massive tome pressed against her chest while several bags hung from her hands. "I might as well stock up when I can," she answered. They never knew the next time they'd make port.

Shoving himself to his feet, Zoro came near to eye her purchases. The bags held several smaller bundles, tightly tied up, and several bundles of plants all bound up in twine. "What's the book?" he dared to ask.

"A grimoire." Seeing Zoro dry stare, Abel chuckled. "It's a book on the known uses for practically every herb and plant known to man, as well as how to grow and tend them myself, should the desire arise." Abel felt tempted to flip through it now, but her hands were too full. "We do have a garden, after all." While Abel would always give precedence to medicine, the root of many such things were common plants, so it would be ignorant to brush aside any utility.

Ever the gentleman, or perhaps just a bout of common courtesy, Zoro held the door open for Abel as the group exited the shop. "I'm very appreciative of your help, Padre," Abel thanked.

"I'll always make time for old friends," the priest brushed aside. "Now, you'll have to tell me about your piratey adventures on the way back."


"Isn't this a little weird?" Usopp asked nervously as he stood with the others around a bucket containing the offending negative strip. He hadn't exactly been happy to hear that something had happened in Abel's office while he was also below deck.

"Standard purification protocol," Caine dryly reported, flicking a matchstick against the box, as Abel still had her lighter. Safely out on the deck, in the open air and away from anything flammable, Caine dropped the match into the bucket, directly onto the film strip. A cursory glance of the strip hadn't offered any insight as to why Abel wanted them to do this, with the strip showing nothing but a blank white field, but she wasn't going to question if her sister told her something harrowing happened.

It took a few minutes, but eventually the heat from the match began to melt the film. The flame flared up, the bright orange blinding all around for a moment, before the film began shriveling up like a dying leaf. Dark wisps of smoke wafted into the air, and it wasn't long after that the bottom of the bucket danced with fire. Checking to ensure that all the film had been burnt up, Caine held out a watering can and poured the collected seawater into the bucket, dousing any flames or evil intent.

Covering his nose from the acrid smoke, Chopper commented, "I've seen Abel use salt before," thinking back to the salt barrier he'd found in Drum Castle. "Is salt, like, super holy?"

Caine gave an amused snort. "It's a purifier," she explained. "Pretty much every culture has rituals involving salt to protect from or banish evil spirits. Because of that, it's made its way into everyday superstitions. Ever seen the cook toss some salt over his shoulder after adding it to food? It's a gesture to bring good luck because it wards off bad luck."

"My mom used to do that," Usopp recalled, thinking back on those simple, childhood days. Glancing back at the swordswoman, he added, "I didn't think you went in for the... uh, more studied side of monster hunting."

Caine gave a faint, exasperated frown. "Just because I prefer to deal with physical monsters doesn't mean I don't know the other stuff. I just don't like messing around with them if I can help it."

As Caine picked up the bucket, now filled with slightly ashy water, Chopper realized, "Oh! Because of the whole demon thing?"

The woman didn't answer. Instead, Solomon replied, "She doesn't talk about Him." The two boys turned their attention to him, and he elaborated, "Talking about demons gives them power." Instantly, Usopp and Chopper smacked their hands over their mouths, expressions of terror on their faces. Solomon couldn't help laughing. "It's fine. It's in the past."

Cautiously, they lowered their hands. Almost conspiratorially, Usopp leaned closer and asked the man, "It doesn't scare you to think your wife was possessed once?"

"Not in the way you might mean," Solomon replied. "It scares me when I think about what she must've gone through, and how terrifying an experience it must've been. And I've taken it upon myself to try to learn how to handle things like that. But as far as being afraid of something happening because of it, I don't like to think that way. Don't go seeking strife lest it come knocking on your door."

"How to handle things?" Usopp parroted. "You mean like, doing exorcists?"

Solomon hid a smirk. "The term is exorcism. And yes, I have looked into it." His expression turned more uncertain and sheepish then. "Though, I'm not sure I could manage."

"It's just a question of being more stubborn than the thing you're trying to get rid of."

Abel'd be lying if she said she didn't enjoy the way the boys leapt into the air, startled by her silent arrival. Laughing as they tried to regain their sanity, she questioned, "I take it from the idle chatter and topics that the deed is done as I requested?"

"Y-Yeah..." Solomon panted, swearing his heart had stopped there for a second.

"Excellent."

Chopper eyed Abel's armfuls dubiously. "Do you really need all that to make the ship safe?" Just how dangerous was the thing down there?

Offering what she hoped was a reassuring smile, Abel answered, "Not all at once. I merely couldn't pass up the chance to stock up." Readjusting her load, as the book was beginning to weigh her down, Abel added, "And the ship isn't unsafe. I'm simply taking extra precautions to clear out any residual negative energy from my office. Being noncorporeal is a very sticky state of being, apparently."

With her arms full, Abel had to jump down the ladder before totting her materials down the hall to her office. She was silently grateful that she'd accidentally left the light on in the room, and not just because her hands were full. The room stood as she'd left it, other than someone had kindly cleaned up the spilled chemicals from the floor before it could stain the wood.

Setting her supplies on the couch, Abel began by putting away the photography supplies. This meant pouring the solutions back in their respective bottles, storing the remaining (hopefully uncursed) negatives, and washing out the developer tubs. Abel paused just long enough to eye the black photograph left on the floor before tossing it into one of the bins to burn and salt after. She no longer sensed anything out of the ordinary in her room, with only the faint scent of chemicals lingering in the air.

As she pulled out one of the smudge bundles, Abel noticed she had an audience. Zoro's presence was no surprise, as he peered suspiciously around the room. But, somewhat hiding behind him, stood Usopp and Chopper. Seeing her surprised, questioning stare, Chopper requested, "Can we watch? Or is this something you have to do alone?"

"You can stay, if you'd like. It's not dangerous, if that's what you're referring to," Abel answered, readying her supplies; her smudge bundle, Caine's zippo, and a feather. The feather wasn't strictly necessary, as using her own hands to fan the smoke would work, but it was traditional to use a feather. And if Abel was going to bother doing a ceremony, she might as well go all in.

Shifting into educator mode, Abel explained, "The most important part of this, or any ritual, is to clearly set your intent from the beginning." Holding the bundle, Abel lit the end, allowing the flame to just kiss the far end of the bundle. As smoke began to rise, Abel set the lighter aside and took a deep breath. The combination of fragrances was very bracing. A unique mix of the mellowness of earth, the sharp bitterness of herbs, and faint traces of citrus. There were more pleasant-smelling plants she could add, but Abel wasn't doing this to make the room smell nice. The aroma was impossible to confuse for something else, and something she should associate with her intent. The smoke would linger, and hopefully bring with it a sense of peace.

Holding the smoking smudge toward her spectators, Abel instructed, "Take a deep breath. Let the smoke fill your lungs." Usopp and Chopper did so, though perhaps the doctor took too deep a breath, as he nearly choked himself. Grinning, Abel waited till he'd calmed before continuing, "Breathe out, and think of your intent. Your goal is to drive out everything scary and leave behind only good things. If it helps, you can close your eyes and imagine light beaming out from your body, chasing the dark away. Hold onto that image... or you can think of nothing at all." This last bit was more toward Zoro, who continued to watch in silence. Then again, Zoro meditated almost as frequently as he trained, so he probably didn't need any instructions. Heck, he could probably do this better than Abel, if he wanted.

Leaving the boys to their tasks, Abel took a moment to prepare herself. It was her intent, her purpose, and she would act with the authority and assuredness needed. When she felt ready, Abel began in the corner nearest the door, but not the door itself. That would be last. Using the feather to fan the smoke into the corners, Abel recited, "Negativity that invades my sacred space, I banish you away with the light of my grace. You have no hold or power here, for I stand and face you without fear. Begone forever, for this I say, this is my sacred place and you will obey. Thus as I say, so shall it be." In truth, it didn't matter what she said, so long as she meant it. There were no secret words or incantations, simply spelling out her intent in a way that compelled others to obey.

Abel repeated herself as she moved to each corner in turn, moving clockwise around the room. When she reached the doorframe, Abel wafted the smoke to all the posts, paying extra attention to the entrance to the room. "Thus as I say, so shall it be," she concluded for the final time. "There. Now all that's left is to let the smudge burn out." Setting the smudge on a tray so it could safely go out, Abel added, "Leave all the doors open so the smoke can reach them, too. And keep an eye out for anything odd occurrences."

Zoro raised a brow. "With this crew?"

"Odd is a relative term," Abel reminded.

"That was a lot easier than I expected," Usopp admitted.

Grinning, Abel replied, "In my experience, only the really nasty rituals require complicated instructions. I suppose it's comforting to know if you want to create real harm, you have to really work at it."


Abel thought it was a little after lunch when the away party returned. Without Sanji's routine or the clock tower visible, it was getting harder and harder to keep internal track of time thanks to the omnipresent darkness. They could always run the generator lights, but honestly Abel wasn't certain it was a good idea. How would the already-skittish townsfolk react if a giant ball of light parked at their docks? The galley was enough of a beacon, with Abel on the couch with all the lights on to aid in her reading of her new book. Dogmeat once again took up his post of laying on Abel's legs, as if trapping her in place. But this time, she had a few snail friends resting on the coffee table behind her. Asleep, naturally, as snail phones tended to do when not in use. That didn't stop Abel from giving them the occasional pat in between the eye stalks. Even as a child, Abel had never been afraid of snails, slugs, and other "icky" things.

Abel didn't bother looking up as Luffy bopped into the galley with his usual cheerfulness, only paying attention when his head blocked her view of the book to see what she was reading. "What's this? A plant book?"

"Of a sort," Abel replied, gently pushing the boy's head out of her way, being sure to plop the straw hat back in place. "I was contemplating what sort of plants we might grow ourselves for medicinal purposes, as opposed to being at the mercy of what we're limited to at port."

From his office, having the door open, Chopper piped up, "That's a great idea, Abel! We do have a garden now!" Currently all they were using it for was Nami's tangerine trees and some flowers, but they could use it for more.

Humming thoughtfully, Abel mused, "The only trouble is the tumultuous Grand Line weather. I'm amazed Red's trees have lasted this long." Most plants tended to only do well during very specific climate conditions... most of which the crazy magnetically-driven climate "bubbles" of the Grand Line didn't provide.

Huffing as she came in, Nami boasted, "Of course they can survive. Those are Bellemere's trees."

Abel held her tongue from questioning why the person who planted said plant would have any bearing on its virility, as she knew it was a matter of familial pride. Then again, who was Abel to say that the headstrong Bellemere hadn't imparted some of her spirit into the source of her daughters' livelihood? Stranger things had happened. Instead of falling into that rabbit hole, Abel redirected her attention. "How goes the spelunking?"

"Boring," Sanji answered before Luffy could go into some big, exciting story. "Nothing but dank tunnels and bones. Nami-san and Robin-chan's radiance were the only things making the trip worthwhile." Without stopping, the blond headed straight for the ladder.

"Sanji!" Luffy whined. "I'm hungry!"

"You'll have to wait," the man answered, climbing up. "There's no way I'm touching any food without washing that place off me." The cook's stomach roiled at the thought of desecrating his kitchen after being in a place filled with death.

"There were actually several interesting locations." Abel moved her gaze from the hatch to the door as Robin entered, a pleased smile on her face.

Luffy grinned brightly. "Yeah! Like that pit with all the bones at the bottom!"

Nami gave a shudder in response. "Don't remind me, Luffy," she chastised. "I still can't get why anyone would use bones to make art." She spat the last word out with obvious contempt.

"You should've seen it, Abel," Luffy excitedly explained, clearly not bothered in the slightest by whatever they'd found. "There was this big pit, and all around the bottom it was decorated with bones."

"Riveting," Abel drawled, reaction far more tempered than her companions. You climb over one cadaver, you've seen them all.

The merit of the "coolness" of the day's adventures was the subject of most of the mealtime conversation, despite some of the more squeamish members insisting such talk wasn't welcomed at the dinner table. Or anywhere, for that matter. Eventually, however, the topic shifted in the direction of their new friend and business partner. "I don't get why you'd even want to crawl around in places like that," Usopp was saying around his food.

Leif gave a lopsided smile. "Yes, I can imagine that's most people's reactions. But I grew up around places like that, so I don't think much about it anymore."

Usopp shook his head pityingly. "You sure you and Abel aren't secretly related?" he asked, remembering Abel's own history and fascination with morbid things.

"Positive," the man answered, either ignoring or oblivious to the teasing. "I did have a sister, but she disappeared. Even if Miss Abel were her, she'd be much younger."

This admission caught them off guard. "Disappeared?" Nami repeated. "What happened?"

A flash of morose remembrance sparked across the man's eyes, before he answered lowly, "That's the question I've spent the better part of my life asking."

The room fell silent, the sadness lingering heavy in the air like a dense blanket. They hadn't expected such a lighthearted jest to lead to such a conversation. "Both my sister and mother, as well as the whole town they were staying at simply... disappeared one day."

"A disappearing town?" Chopper squeaked.

"The town didn't disappear, but rather everyone in it, without any reason," Leif clarified. Sighing, he stated, "I should start at the beginning. As I probably told you, my father was a civil engineer, and we traveled to many remote islands helping towns improve or preserve their infrastructure. One such place was called Hoer Verder. It was a small town, situated inside a dense forest of a much larger kingdom. It was set up as a foresting outpost, and rather ramshackled. The people there were always scared of attacks from the other towns, as there was a great deal of political unrest, so my father was brought in to help establish some protections. Despite that, it was reasonably peaceful, with Marines stationed to keep the peace. So when father had to travel away for in-person negotiations of resources, he thought nothing about leaving mother and my sister there. Always intrigued by the business, I chose to go away with him. But when we got back..." The man trailed off, losing himself in thought for a moment.

No one wanted to interrupt his musings, allowing him to set his own pace in telling the story that clearly continued to impact him. Eventually, their patience paid off. "When we got back, we found the town completely deserted."

"Were they attacked?" Luffy asked.

Leif shook his head. "That's the strangest part. There were no signs of a struggle. There was no damage to any of the buildings. We thought at first they might have had to leave in a hurry due to some threat, but as far as anyone could tell no one had taken any of their possessions. Food, clothing and valuables were all left behind. There was even still food cooking, as if everyone simply got up and left. And even if they had to leave, why wouldn't they be reported at one of the other towns? Why wouldn't my mother leave a note or try to contact us?" Fair questions.

The man began fidgeting with his hands, eyes glazed over for a moment before they suddenly widened. "Miss Abel!" Several at the table jumped in surprise at the outburst, while said woman merely raised an eyebrow. "Do you think— would you mind—" Huffing at his own stumbling, Leif calmed himself enough to ask, "Would you be willing to look over the files? To see if there's something I missed?"

Abel blinked slowly, digesting his request. "You want me to look over the evidence you've collected about your family's disappearance to reach some undevined conclusion."

Leif flushed a little bit at Abel's blunt wording, but didn't back down. "A fresh set of eyes, especially as experienced, might find something others missed."

Abel wasn't completely against the idea, especially with how helpful the man had been. It wasn't like she needed much prodding to look over old documents about mysterious events. Hell, she could do that in her sleep. But there was one thing holding her back, "You realize that, even if I do divine some new insight, it likely won't be anything useful. To which I mean bring back your family." If it had been as long ago as Leif implied, whether Abel uncovered some hidden truth or not, his mom and sister wouldn't come back.

Despite that, the man's resolve didn't waver. "I know," he admitted softly. "I gave up on that a long time ago. But even just knowing what happened... it would be a great relief."

Lips pressed into a thin line, Abel sighed and relented. "Very well."


True to her word, Abel followed Leif back to his house to look over the files as he requested. The man tittered nervously about random topics, ranging from interesting finds in the catacombs, asking Abel's opinion on various legends, and praising their navigator's skills. Abel tried to hide her smile, wondering if his incessant chattering was nervousness about having Abel in his home, or to fill the deafening silence in the otherwise vacant streets. Wandering around the cold, dark avenues, it truly felt as if they were the only living beings on the island at that moment. The town was waiting for someone to make the next move. Though who was making moves, it was hard to tell.

Perhaps it was due to being the only two people out, or Abel's mind drifting as Leif yammered on, but either way Abel knew immediately the moment they were no longer alone. Time as an outlaw had honed her skills at recognizing when she was being followed. Naturally not wanting them, Abel surreptitiously glanced around at the nearby windows, hoping to catch a glimpse of who it was. In the foggy darkness, it was hard to see much past herself, especially with the shops not being at the right angle to see behind her. Fortunately, Abel did spot the person in a window ahead, as the street ran into a T-intersection. A darkly robbed figure followed silently, a safe distance back. Due to their dark clothing, the only reason Abel spotted them was her trained eyes noticing their movement. Without turning to confront them directly, all Abel could make out was a moving black form, like a shadow had come to life. They were far enough back that Abel felt confident they were merely observing, not confronting. Though that left the uncomfortable question as to why they were observing: to report on Abel's movements, or waiting for a chance to strike?

"Miss Abel?"

Said woman blinked, so caught up in her own observations of their tail that she didn't notice Leif had stopped at a building. Turning, Abel hoped to catch a glimpse out of the corner of her eye, but spotted nothing as she waited for Leif to unlock the door.

The civil engineer lived in what might best be described as a boarding house. The front door (which Abel didn't miss Leif locking behind him as they entered) led to a short entryway and a set of stairs leading up. Up the stairs on the right was Leif's flat. It consisted of a main sitting room, with a door to a bathroom and bedroom off to the left of the room. The flat lacked any kitchen, suggesting Leif either had to eat out or cooking was handled by the person who owned the home.

Leif quickly set about lighting the impressive fireplace opposite the "front door", which both fought off the constant chill and added to the domesticity of the flat. Abel couldn't help musing that the sitting room resembled what Abel's office might look like were she allowed to bring every single sample she wanted on board. Calling it organized chaos would've been too kind, as there appeared to be no rhyme or reason to the towers of books and papers littering about. Even what served as the dining table stood covered. Only the small couch and sofa by the fire and Leif's drafting table remained untouched. It amused the hunter greatly that the man had stuck photos and articles all over the walls. Not a corkboard, but the actual walls. As she ran her hands along the faded fabric wallpaper, Abel mused Leif probably wouldn't be getting his safety deposit back.

A large bay window took up the front of the sitting room. Leaving Leif to rummage around for his files, Abel meandered over. The window had wooden shuttered blinds looked out onto the street, keeping the occupants hidden from view. Abel felt tempted to peek out to spot their tail, but couldn't move just one blind. She'd have to open the whole thing, which would make it obvious. Besides, if her tail was any good, they would be safely hiding in an alley with a view of the door, waiting for Abel to come out. That's what she would do.

"Is something troubling you?" Leif asked, coming up behind her, noticing Abel's distraction.

Abel made a non-committed noise before warning, "Make sure your window is locked tonight."

The man paled a bit, adjusting his glasses nervously. "Is there someone out there?" Abel didn't reply, but given how she eyed the window, Leif took that as an affirmative. "Well, I hate to say it, but you should probably follow your own advice, then." When Abel turned, the man explained, "If it was me they were after, they could've gotten me a long time ago. I've made no secret of my work. Therefore, it must be you they're interested in." The man's face was etched in concern for the woman as he handed over a large, sealed folder.

Abel tsked playfully. "It's hard being so popular."

Her humor was lost on the other. "Please be careful, Miss Abel. The Church... they're dangerous. I'd hate for something to happen to you."

Holding the folder securely, Abel replied, "Sadly, it wouldn't be the first time I've butted head with angry cultists." She thought back to Enel's followers.

"Is that a good thing?" Leif retorted, earning a bark of laughter from Abel. Was the man actually being sarcastic? He didn't seem the sort.

"An occupational hazard, I'm afraid."

Shaking his head, Leif redirected, "Let me have the landlord call you a cab. I don't want you walking back alone." And before she could stop him, the man had already left.

It wasn't long before Abel stood outside the flat with Leif helping her into a hansom. Not like they were having a busy afternoon. As he shut the door, Leif turned grateful eyes toward Abel. "If there's anything you can gleam from those files, please, I would be forever grateful."

"I will give them a thorough study," Abel cautiously assured. "But don't get your hopes up."

He gave a rueful smile, appearing to have long ago having resigned himself to never truly having answers. "I know. But at least with this—" He leaned forward, pressing the folder into Abel's chest. "I'll have done my best. If someone like you can't find an answer, then there simply isn't one to be found."

"I've already agreed to help. No need to continue sucking up to me. Not that I don't appreciate flattery." Leif gave a lopsided smile at the joke, before stepping back and shouting directions to the cabbie. With the crack of a whip, the hansom took off.

Abel half expected to catch a glimpse of a figure standing in a dark corner as they dashed by, or perhaps even to have her hansom accosted on the trip back home. None of these happened, however, and Abel returned to the alley that led to their dock. Naturally, the cab was too wide to fit through the alley, so it dropped Abel off outside the empty bakery before disappearing into the fog, like some phantom carriage. A short jaunt through the ever-more familiar alley found Abel safely back on the ship.

Ironically, it wasn't until she set foot onto the ship that she found herself being assaulted, as two large hands gripped her shoulders from behind the moment she was safely on board. "Babe!" Franky's excited voice called, the only thing that stopped him from getting shot or losing some mechanical digits. "You gotta come see this!" And rather than allowing Abel to follow on her own power, Franky hoisted the hunter up by her arms, carting her unceremoniously into the belly of the ship like a wayward crate.

As she went, Caine raised an eyebrow at the ease at which Abel allowed herself to be manhandled. A thought occurred, and she turned her head toward Robin, who sat nearby reviewing their notes from the day's trip. "Was Franky the last person to join your crew?" she asked.

A little surprised at the other woman freely addressing her, Robin quickly answered, "Yes. Shortly before we entered this Devil's Triangle." The mercenary hummed thoughtfully but said nothing further to elaborate on her thinking, so Robin figured it was idle curiosity about the crew and returned to her work.

In truth, however, Caine began to piece together that it might be Franky that her sister was having a relationship with. The last to join, fairly recently, and Abel had only now just started taking birth control? They did talk a lot of shop together, though the same could be said for the long nose. But Usopp didn't grab or touch Abel like she'd just witnessed Franky doing. Caine's nose crinkled. It was strange enough to think about her sister having relations with anyone, having never expressed more than the odd childhood crush, but she'd hoped her sister would have better taste in men than someone who ran around in a speedo all day.

"All right, Mr. Golden Retriever," Abel drawled as Franky set her back on her feet in front of his workshop's closed door. "What's gotten you so excited?"

Franky beamed, his barrel chest puffing out even more in pride. "Prepare to be amazed," he preened. If it hadn't been for his expression of pure enthusiasm, Abel would've called him prideful. As it was, he looked almost like a kid on his birthday. No, more like a kid about to show some awesome, handmade gift off to a beloved parent. Stepping between Abel and the door, he grabbed the handle. "Ready, Usopp!?" he called through the door.

"Ready!" Usopp shouted, just as enthused.

"Ow!" Franky cheered, swinging the door open.

As he stepped aside, he revealed Usopp standing before the desk, waving his hands over the object situated on top like some showroom girl awaiting the applause of the audience. Beaming just as widely as the shipwright, Usopp asked, "Well, what do you think?"

Stepping forward, the hunter retorted, "That you'd look good in a sequined dress and heels." Ignoring their befuddled confusion, Abel instead opted to focus on the results of their handiwork.

On the table sat Dogmeat's completed leg. It was clear that Franky had drawn inspiration from Abel's sketches of canine anatomy, as the new right leg strongly resembled the skeletal structure. Why reinvent the wheel when nature already gave you the blueprints, right? Instead of bone, this limb was entirely metal. A sort of dark grayish-bronze color that Abel couldn't quite place at a glance. Curious, Abel picked it up, exploring the construction gingerly with her hands. It was heavier than expected, but not to the extent that it was cumbersome. Bone was quite light due to having lots of little holes inside, and metal couldn't compete with that. That being said, Abel could tell Franky had tried to find a good balance of the prosthetic being sturdy enough to withstand the pressure Dogmeat would put on it in combat while being light enough to not hinder. Having never held such an advanced prosthetic before Abel couldn't compare it to human ones, but felt with some time Dogmeat would adapt to being slightly heavier on one side. Couldn't be harder than adapting to missing an entire limb.

Abel examined each part of the construction, testing to see if it was up to snuff. She wouldn't subject her best boy to undue stress if it wasn't worth it. The prosthetic started at the humerus, or the bone that supports the bicep, with a thick, almost triangular piece of metal curving gently down to the lower joint. On the inside of the "socket" a bit of metal jutted out, with some thin cables attached. Abel could only surmise that this would be the mounting piece that would attach the limb to Dogmeat's existing shoulder. The opposite elbow joint slotted into two straight pieces of metal running parallel, mimicking the placement of the radius and ulna. These two pieces overlapped the elbow, the opening housing some sort of pivot or ball joint, allowing the pieces to move easily against each other. Tugging at the front, or radius piece, caused the foot to flex, while tugging back ulna piece did the opposite, making the foot point, simulating a walking motion.

These pieces both ended and sat upon another gear joint, simulating the carpal joint, sandwiched between a shorter piece of metal that served as the carpus, or wrist. This made it look like the leg had a wristguard. Given that this piece is where most of Dogmeat's weight would be held, it was very sturdy and solid, its compact nature giving it strength to withstand any force. The foot was the only part that didn't match the bone structure, but that was understandable. Dogs' digits were quite thin without the meat surrounding it. Instead, Franky had opted to fashion a short piece of bent metal with gear joints on either end. One joint connected to the carpus and the other connected to three metal claws that served as toes. Poking the ends revealed they were sharp enough to dig into the ground... or someone's face, depending on Dogmeat's needs.

Altogether, the leg looked like a front dog's only made from metal and not bone, matching the girth of a natural leg.

Abel had to say, she was quite impressed. Not that she had any reason to doubt Franky's abilities, but this was a bit of an experiment. It didn't sound like he'd ever made anything is this for an animal. Even the two yagara bulls the Franky Family had employed only had giant roller skates to help them get around on land. Holding the shoulder connector, Abel pressed her palm into the sole of the foot. She found the movement to be quite smooth, with the leg bending naturally to accommodate the changing "ground". The gear joints moved smoothly, and it seemed Franky'd included some cushioning or springy material with the joints for added bounce.

"Well?" Franky asked when Abel went too long without a word, only appraising his work. "Whaddya think?"

"So far so good," Abel replied, tempering her response.

That seemed to be enough for Franky (for now) as he smiled and said, "Your sketches really helped get the structure down. But you're right, the hard part will be attaching it and dawg learning to walk on it."

"What's the plan in that regard?" Abel asked.

"I've already talked to Chopper about helping tomorrow. It's not as simple as just strapping the leg over his nub. That might work on just a simple prosthetic, but this is more complicated." Franky pointed the cables. "Chopper will have to cut a path to the muscle for me to implant the anchor and attach the wires. That'll not only help it stay as secure as a real leg, but sense twitches in his muscles to move the leg. The gears have sensors to respond to pressure and movement from both ends."

"Is it robotic?" Abel wondered.

"Not really. It doesn't run on a power source like my upgrades do, but it's not as primitive as clockwork design, either. It's an adaptive blend of sensors, gears and pivots that should let him do whatever a dog needs to do." Dogmeat would fully be in control once he got used to it.

Weighing it in her hands, Abel asked, "What's it made of?"

Franky grinned again. "Tungsten. It's expensive stuff, but I had a small bit lying around. It's the strongest metal you can get, and has a high melting temperature, so it should last a long time. You know I don't do anything by halves."

Pleased with his work so far, Abel then asked, "What's the next step? You mentioned surgery?"

Franky nodded, getting more serious. "I figured we can do it tomorrow, since it's getting late. Chopper's agreed to help, but it might be a good idea for you to be there, too. I know you said dawg doesn't feel pain, but he probably won't let us just cut him without you there to keep him calm. Plus, we'll be messing with nerve tissue, so who's to say he won't feel it? The leg doesn't have anything but pressure sensors, but he's not a normal dog, is he?"

"Sounds like a plan," Abel agreed, pushing down any nervousness. She believed Franky, but this was a new thing for them. She didn't want to hurt Dogmeat or do something to him that wasn't to his benefit. Funny. In the past she'd cut into Dogmeat without another thought, but he'd only been a novelty then. Now, she'd probably shoot someone for so much as kicking the dog, even if it didn't "hurt" him.

Speaking of Dogmeat, Zoro was currently out on the foredeck shaking his head at the crazy beast. Sanji had given Dogmeat a ham bone to gnaw on, but the dog seemed more interested in... well, Zoro wasn't entirely sure what he was doing. Hunting it? The bone currently sat on the deck near the railing, and rather than chew on it like a sane beast would, Dogmeat kept hopping around and growling at it, similar to what he did when playing with Abel. He jumped this way and that, always keeping his face toward the dangerous enemy (which at least Zoro could appreciate) while growling and snapping at it. The bone, of course, remained unflinching at the display, only serving to rile the dog up even more. Zoro wouldn't have cared so much had the noisy display not been keeping him from taking a nap. This constant darkness was making him more dozy than usual.

Flopping on the wooden deck a few paces from the bone, Dogmeat craned his neck, as if taunting the bone that he might bite it. Quickly, he whipped his head around, snapping at his tail, before facing the bone again. Dogmeat repeated this action before turning around entirely, his back to the bone (and Zoro), staring down at the lower deck. From his position leaning against the bulwark, Zoro couldn't see what had the dog's attention. Head peering down between the gaps in the railing, Dogmeat bunkered down, tail swaying over his back as he growled.

The observing swordsman raised a brow as Dogmeat jerked his head back before lunging as far as he could through the railing, growling and tail wagging never ceasing. Dogmeat reared his head back again, turning his jaws to face the enemy. Slowly, a slender, pale hand crept into view from below, hovering tauntingly in a standoff with the canine, both waiting for the other to move.

But as it turned out, the hand was a distraction, as its mate quickly snuck in to poke at the dog's opposite side. Dogmeat jerked around, snapping at the hand as both disappeared below. Then both rose together, wisely out of lunging distance, and Dogmeat kept growling like a motor that just couldn't start. Swiftly, one hand lunged at Dogmeat, but not quite touching as teeth blocked its path. Then the other swooped in, the first pulling back. They continued this back-and-forth, like a bizarre game of patty cake but one party using their teeth instead of hands. All the while, Dogmeat growled and grunted, audibly snapping at the teasing hands. Any mystery about who the culprit might be had long since vanished, as there was only one person who would play with the zombie dog in such a way. Or indeed the only one who could survive such play.

Eventually the hands relented, pulling down bite free before one rose again, hovering very slowly up. Dogmeat leaned back, ready to fend off the next attack. Or so he thought. Because soon Abel jumped up from the deck below, leaning over the railing to grab at the back of his sweater. "Ambush!" she called.

It took some fierce wiggling, but Dogmeat managed to free himself from his captor by freeing himself from the sweater. As it slipped over his head, the dog shook, enjoying the feeling of freedom before barking at his master. In response, Abel shook the sweater at him, earning more barking. "Don't sass me," she teased. Indulging in his master's playful streak, Dogmeat jumped back, barking at Abel to encourage her to give chase. "Put this sweater back on," Abel chided with mocking seriousness. This earned her a play bow.

Throwing a leg over the railing, which admittedly made Zoro a bit nervous at her precarious stance, Abel chastised, "Running around naked. Were you raised in a barn?" Yipping, Dogmeat sprinted around Abel, bolting down the stairs and out of sight. Zoro didn't see where he went, but he heard the displeased sounds from his crewmates as they found a chunk of canine barreling into them.

Noticing his bemused expression, Abel flicked the sweater in Zoro's direction in the same manner as the dog. "Now you, on the other hand, I wouldn't mind so much..." Abel let the comment linger in the foggy air. Zoro felt a little thrill through his veins, quickly averting his gaze before he could make a fool of himself. If the others weren't around he might see where Abel went with the comment. But he didn't think Abel had an exhibitionist streak.


Sadly, all play must come to an end, and eventually Abel found herself back in the galley with her book. Everyone else had already made for bed, earlier than usual if the clock tower was any indication. The darkness was beginning to mess with the circadian rhythms. They might have to use the lights despite the townsfolk's paranoia.

Perhaps it was the excitement of the day, but Abel felt wide awake as everyone else packed it in. Thus how Abel found herself idly skimming over her new book with Dogmeat resting at her feet.

It wasn't until Caine sat down beside her that Abel was even aware that anyone else was still awake. Abel glanced at her sister out of the corner of her eye, finding the other simply staring silently ahead into the peaceful kitchen. Abel's eyes drifted back to her page, not a word spoken between the two. If Caine wanted to say something, she'd eventually get to it without Abel hassling her. If not, she simply wanted to spend some quiet bonding time. Either was as likely as the other.

Abel felt a small, nostalgic smile bloom on her face as she remembered their many nights sharing a room. Caine, having long claimed the top bunk as the "oldest", would be lounging in broody silence, staring at the ceiling in thought, while Abel sat at the desk reading or working on some other task. They might even have Napoleon sleeping on Abel's bed. All would be silent save for the scratching of Abel's pen, or the jingle of Napoleon's collar as he scratched a persistent itch, or the occasional squeak of the mattress as Caine shifted. Funny how cyclical time could be.

"Are you sleeping with Franky?"

The question was so sudden, and the content so out of left-field, that it honestly took Abel a minute to realize her sister had asked a serious question. When the realization did finally kick in, Abel could only stare dumbfounded. Talk about abrupt. Yet from Caine's dead-serious stare, she wasn't joking.

After a few beats of silence, Abel felt her surprise cracking under the sheer ridiculousness of the question. Her chest gave a little heave of suppressed laughter, face splitting into a wide grin. As a peal of laughter bubbled up, Abel just managed to contain it by clamping her teeth together, giving her a cheshire-level smile as her chest vibrated. Abel raised a hand to her face, shaking her head as she struggled to contain her mirth, not wanting to wake anyone else up. Though hilarious, it was also a potentially embarrassing situation. Dogmeat looked at his master in concern, while Caine watched on stoically.

After her sister's body stopped shaking, Caine reiterated, "Well?"

Abel gave a snort, Caine's inability to read the room tempering her amusement to more manageable levels. "No," she managed drolly. "I have not, am not, nor plan to sleep with Franky." That should cease any further questions on the matter.

Or so she thought. "What about Usopp?"

"That's even more insulting than the first question," Abel retorted, trying to keep a straight face but failing miserably.

"Then—"

"Allow me to curtail any further embarrassing inquiries on your part," Abel interrupted. "I am not, nor have I, engaged in any sexual relations with anyone on this ship."

Caine narrowed her eyes, feeling that there was some loophole to that statement. But when she couldn't see it, she asked, "What about the pills?" There was no way Abel could lie about that. They both had the same father. And while Caine didn't study medicine, she knew what they were.

Knowing how her sister could be like a dog with a bone when she got something in her mind, Abel did what she did best: deflect. "Mayhaps I have a paramour abroad. Part of some rival crew that I want to be prepared for should we cross paths again. Or mayhaps I'm protecting myself should some nefarious Marine takes me prisoner and subject me to a very different type of torture out of the fact that I'm a woman. Or mayhaps I simply see the value in controlling my hormones when spending weeks at sea without the possibility of necessary feminine supplies."

Caine crinkled her nose at some of the implications. "But—"

"I seem to recall another person, who shall go unnamed, who didn't want to announce their burgeoning relationship status to their sibling. Perhaps that person, should they overhear this conversation, offer the same courtesy."

Caine frowned, but was unable to give a response. Abel was quite good at choosing the right words to shut people up, when she wanted.

Sensing the conversation had concluded, and hopefully wouldn't be picked up later, Abel returned to marking sections of her book to read later. She and Zoro hadn't even talked about when/how/if to tell their crew about their relationship. It seemed wrong to tell her sister before the people who were, rightly, closer than family. Introducing your partner to family was endgame material.

The silence didn't reign for too long, unfortunately; though it wasn't a nosy sibling cutting in this time. Instead, Dogmeat sat up abruptly, a low growl beginning to rumble within. Both women stared at the dog before glancing at each other. Having a good idea of what (or rather, who) was upsetting the beast, and frankly growing tired of it, Abel pressed a finger to her lips, wordlessly shushing her sister. Hoping their practice with hand signs had worked, Abel made a cutting motion with both hands, the sign for "quiet". Dogmeat didn't stop entirely, but did lower his head and drop the noise a bit. With the crashing of the ocean, the person watching from the dock wouldn't hear him. Silently setting her book aside, Abel held up a palm to Dogmeat, signing "stay." Then, she motioned for Caine to follow her.

Abel didn't approach the door, not wanting to be spotted by the stalker. Fortunately, thanks to Franky's planning, there was more than one way to leave the galley. So Abel went toward the opposite door, exiting into the infirmary. Careful not to bump into anything in the dark, and alter their stalker, Abel slowly opened the infirmary door that led outside, preventing any squeaking. Back pressed to the wall, Abel slid stealthily toward the corner, hoping the brightness from the galley would make the surrounding areas extra dark to cover them.

Peeking out from the corner, it didn't surprise Abel to spot another cloaked figure standing on the dock, watching their ship. It might even be the same one that followed her before. She couldn't say if they were the same height or not. Abel couldn't even see their hands to have any idea of if they were male or female, with everything obscured from view. The person didn't appear to notice her, their head sweeping back-and-forth to watch the ship.

Although the person wasn't doing anything but watching, Abel didn't like being watched. At least not by people who probably had bad intentions toward them. Glancing at Dogmeat, watching anxiously from the infirmary, Abel raised a fist above her head out of view, the sign for "bark". Dutifully, Dogmeat gave a quick bark. Abel observed the figure jump, suddenly nervous at the reminder that there was a watchdog. Seriously, why keep stalking a place that you know has a guard dog? Glancing furtively around, the figure decided to beat a hasty retreat before Dogmeat woke everyone again.

Abel counted in her head a few seconds after the figure disappeared. Swiftly, she ran down to the main deck and leapt over the railing to the dock below. With a short whistle, Dogmeat followed. Glancing at her sister on the deck, Abel asked, "Care for a game of grandmother's footsteps?" Caine didn't have to think long before joining her sister, and soon the trio set off to tail their interloper.

One of the many benefits of having a dog in your employ is being able to track someone down, meaning they didn't need to keep their lead in visual range to keep up with them. So it was less grandmother's footsteps and more hide-and-seek. Dogmeat got a good snoutful of the stranger's scent before they headed off. By the time they reached the main street, the figure was nowhere in sight. The twins glanced down either end of the street, but already had a strong suspicion the figure would've headed deeper into town, as the only thing in the opposite direction was the shoreline. And proving them right, Dogmeat made a circle of the street before picking up on the scent. Giving a baying bark like a hunting dog on the scent of game, Dogmeat led them into the city.

The fog obscured their vision more than a few meters ahead, adding a sense of tension to their hunt. However, just as they couldn't see too far ahead, their stranger shouldn't be able to see them. With a bit of a head start, and probably at a faster pace than them, they shouldn't have to worry about running into them. But Abel was glad she brought her weapons, just in case. Sometimes the best way to get answers was at gunpoint.

Dogmeat kept his nose to the cobblestone, leading them through the desolate streets. By now, what few lights had been on during the day were snuffed, and most decent, law-abiding citizens safely in bed. Only hooligans, criminals, cultists and other ne'er-do-wells were out at this hour. What was the old saying? Nothing good happens after midnight? Well, it wasn't that late, but close enough.

Through the empty streets they wound, with their dutiful guide steering them this way and that. There were a few times when Dogmeat would have to pause and circle around to catch the scent again, but for the most part he kept true to his course. It probably helped that few people had been out during the day, meaning there were less scents to mingle and obscure their stranger's. Although she'd never admit it, Caine could tell herself she was impressed at the dog's tracking ability. Not that sniffing wasn't what dogs were known for, but he seemed very doggedly determined not to be distracted by anything else.

"Just like old times, huh?" Abel whispered, having easily spotted the small grin on her sister's face, given that it matched her own. The triplets used to play this game all the time when they were little. Pick a person to follow and see how long they could go without being spotted. They were significantly worse at it back then, as most children were awful at being quiet and subtle. And most of their targets probably wouldn't have killed them if caught.

As they drew nearer to the center of town, Abel began to recognize some of the landmarks. And she couldn't help noticing, "They're taking a circuitous route."

"Hm?"

"My navigational skills may not be Red-levels, but we keep passing places I saw the other day, but in a different order than when we took a direct path."

Now that Caine thought about it, it did feel like they were doing a lot of zig-zagging. They made a lot of turns, when it felt like going straight would be faster. "Think they're onto us and leading us into an ambush?"

Abel made a noncommittal noise. "It's just as likely it's in their nature to take such a convoluted path." Abel cast a side-eye at her sister. "You don't dress in identity-obscuring black robes if you don't want people to know who you are." It was probably a habit for the cultists to take less-traveled paths to their destinations when "working" to naturally avoid being seen or followed. But clearly the town's fear had made them sloppy for outsiders, not accustomed to being terrorized or ignoring things for their own safety, to give chase.

That didn't mean they didn't keep their guard up as they went. But no ambushes lay in wait for them, and eventually Dogmeat's nose led them to an old building on the far northern side of the ritzy district. The buildings in this area appeared older than before, and a fair few in disrepair. Heck, a few were even tilted wonkily in their foundations, giving the impression they'd fall over if one leaned on them the wrong way. It didn't look abandoned, per se, just old and somewhat neglected. There were still a few old mansions in the area, with gothic architecture - even some honest to goodness gargoyles blearily peering down at the trio from their lofty perches. A few of the more stately buildings have gated courtyards, similar to what Abel saw before upon visiting the rich district. A common safeguard to keep the unwashed masses at bay.

It was into one of these courtyards that Dogmeat's nose led them. Before he went traipsing in, however, Abel grabbed him by the scruff and yanked him back. Despite not thinking this was an ambush, Abel wasn't about to go carelessly into a potential lion's den. A narrow gap in the stone wall led into the courtyard, probably where a gate had once stood. Without a word, a sister took each side of the gateway, pressing their backs flush against the wall. Still keeping a tight grip on her dog while holding her crossbow in the other hand, Abel nodded to Caine, who had her sword out. Simultaneously, each sister peered into the opposite corner of the courtyard, checking there was no one lying in wait to attack. Fortunately, the courtyard stood completely vacant. There weren't even any bushes to hide in. Relaxing somewhat, Abel returned her weapon while letting Dogmeat loose, and together they all entered the courtyard.

The building nestled within the courtyard was... interesting. In the past, it might have served as an old government building. Perhaps a courthouse, give the column-supported overhang. It had likely once been pristine white, but now time and constant moisture had caused it to grey. Along the molding cracks were tinges of green and moss. It was overall rectangular in shape, narrow but long. A spire jutted out from the roof near the front, the clock at the top having long since died.

But the oddest thing was that the building felt... stunted. Normally, one would expect such a building to be at least two stories tall. Or at least with an elevated foundation with large, imposing steps leading up to the front. But this one wasn't. Not counting the spire, it was only one story. And yet it felt as if it were built to be more than one story. It was a difficult thing to explain. Abel couldn't point to one specific detail that gave this impression, but more a culmination of everything looking just slightly off. The overhang the pillars supported sat low enough to the ground that one would have to duck to avoid hitting their head, leaving the old, carved fresco decorating the front at almost eye level. And a quick check showed the tip top of the tower just barely cleared the tops of the tall stone wall encircling it. The clock wouldn't even be visible from the outside. With everything else seemingly built in proportion, it was just odd. As if the building had shrunk.

Moreover, "Where's the door?"

Her sister was right. There was no door, despite them standing at the threshold. In fact, there didn't appear to be any way to get inside. The tall, once ornate, ground-level windows had been bricked up, leaving only the frame visible from the outside. Nothing short of a bomb was getting them through there. Making a loop of the building showed the same true for all the windows. Even Dogmeat got confused, making wide, erratic circles in the courtyard while whining, unable to pick up a good scent for where the figure might've gone. He knew they came in and didn't go out, but he couldn't tell how.

Crossing her arms, Abel mused, "Boss once fought an agent who had Devil Fruit powers that let him create doors wherever he wished, but I don't think that's the case here."

Abel tried a few of the windows, only to find their construction solid. She even wrapped against the walls in a few places trying to see if there was some secret or hollow passage, but only got some sore knuckles for her efforts. Coming back around the front, leaving Caine to check the grounds for some hidden stairway or something, Abel eyed the fresco. It was pretty obvious that at some point it had been something else before being carved out. Most of the front was flat and bare, but not smooth like it would be had the original craftsman made it that way. Rather, it gave the impression that someone had painstakingly chipped away at what had been there until a blank canvas remained for their own purposes. And that purpose was to carve their own symbol into the plaster in the middle. It was a crude, slightly uneven star, with what Abel could best describe as a flaming eye in the middle.

Abel wracked her brain trying to place it, but was fairly certain she'd never seen such a symbol before. Then again, if this was an isolated cult, there would be no reason Abel should recognize it. "This has to be it, though," she thought aloud.

"What's that?" Caine asked in a low murmur, coming up behind her after giving up her search.

Scanning the rooftop and tower, Abel answered, "This has to be the Sternenhimmels." She didn't know what that symbol meant, but she was willing to bet it was the sign for their church. The Church of the Starry Sky? What else could it be?

Caine couldn't see a reason to argue, so instead asked, "Should we force our way in?"

"To what end?" Abel retorted. "Waltz into the enemy's lair and demand they stop being creepy? They'd have us in number and homefield advantage." Still, Abel felt satisfied at least knowing where their enemy laid their heads. Should things actually come to a confrontation, she'd know where to look. Better yet, the Sternenhimmels didn't know they knew, which would give them the advantage when/if it came to it. And something in Abel's gut told her it would.

To Be Continued...